Wise Girls, Foolish Boys
by rubberglue
Summary: Finding a wife for the crown prince is the break in her career Gwen is looking for. Only, it's a job made more difficult when she finds herself liking Prince Arthur far too much. And then, there's the kisses. Hot, toe-curling kisses that keep accidentally happening between them.
1. Chapter 1

From the corner of the ballroom, Gwen allowed herself a proud smile. The lights were low and the string quartet played a haunting melody. A gothic party was what they wanted, so a gothic party was what Gwen gave them, complete with black roses, pewter skulls and fake tombstones and held in a gorgeous, albeit small, gothic castle. Despite the ever-changing minds of the demanding grooms-to-be and her boss breathing down her neck at every turn, this engagement party was undoubtedly a huge success. I told you I could do it. Gwen sent a silent message to Catrina. I deserve that partnership that was up for grabs, not Vivian. Although Vivian had been given the juicier contract with the fancy black tie masquerade party that some minor royalty was hosting and if Viv managed to pull that off without problems, Gwen was sure that Catrina would give Viv the partnership and not her. Didn't matter than Gwen was as good, if not more so, than Viv. She was constantly given the less prestigious jobs, mostly involving slightly different (she would not call them weird, no matter how often Viv did) people, to handle while Viv, with her golden hair and gorgeous looks, had all the high-profile, less different events landing in her lap.

"But you're so good at managing all these strange people," Viv had said a few months ago, just before Gwen's review with Catrina, as she tossed her golden hair, before crossing her long legs. "Why, look at the wonderful job you did for the dog wedding."

"It was just a wedding themed party for the dogs. It was cute."

Viv waved her fingers at Gwen, a large diamond ring symbolising her new engagement glinting under the office lights. "Whatever. I wouldn't be able to deal with them without laughing. Catrina wants you to handle Keith Loo's engagement party. After all, you were the matchmaker."

And she had been. Not deliberately. She had been managing the restoration of Aiman's extremely historical mansion and in the midst of a particularly hectic day, she had managed to mess up Keith's lunch schedule and somehow everything came to a head on the pavement outside the exclusive Kitchn where Aiman and Keith met.

Then, as the saying went, the rest was history.

"Excuse me. Are you the organiser?"

Jolted out of her reverie, Gwen saw an older gentleman stood next to her, dressed in the dark reds and blacks that the two grooms had requested. She thought he looked familiar but with the only light coming from a few skinny sticks of candles, Gwen couldn't be sure. "Yes, is there a problem?"

"No. This is, uh, a very unusual party."

Tearing her gaze from the dance floor, Gwen moved so that they stood face to face. She wasn't sure if he was here to rant to her about the horrors of Satan, like that lady had just before the party started, or if he was impressed enough by this party that he wanted to hire her. "It is unusual but most importantly, Keith and Aiman are happy. And so are the people important to them."

The man nodded, although uncertainty, bordering on disapproval, was still written all across his face. "Do you have a name card perhaps? I might have a job for you."

It was a potential client! Gwen bit down on a smile and dug into her bag for her name card. "Here you go, Mr, uh –"

"Shaw. Leon Shaw. Thank you."

Gwen's hand was halfway out when the name registered. But by then, Leon Shaw, private secretary to the King, had taken her name card and walked back out into the party, without even a word of thanks. Gwen let out a breath. A job with the royal family would definitely boost her standing in the company and not even Viv's golden aura would take it away from her. Quietly, Gwen muttered a quick prayer that Leon Shaw was impressed enough with her work and would contact her.

The string quartet started up their last song in the set and Gwen moved away from the corner she was standing in. Soon, the guests would be invited out to watch the fireworks finale and Gwen had to make sure everything was in place. The party was only as good as the finale and now, Gwen had an added reason to make sure this was a finale to remember.

As the fireworks exploded overhead into the star lit sky, her phone buzzed.

"Gwen Degrance," she said into the phone as she stared up into the sky. A skull burst in the night sky, drawing gasps from the crowd.

Catrina's cool voice poured into Gwen's ear. "Gwen. How is the party?"

"Excellent. Everything went off without a hitch. The grooms have tears in their eyes, their parents are happily sloshed and right now, the fireworks are making everyone ooh and ahh. It might be my best party ever."

Gwen knew better than to expect praise but when all Catrina's said was a curt good, before hanging up, she was still disappointed.

"Never thought I'd ever see skull and cross bone fireworks."

"They are bespoke fireworks. Cost a pretty penny." The man next to her was tall but once again, the darkness ensured that she didn't get a good look at his face. "Friend of the groom or the groom?"

His teeth flashed in the dim light and lazy amusement laced his voice. "The groom. You?"

"I organised this."

He turned to look at her. "You did an amazing job. I never thought a gothic engagement party would be so … so joyous."

The dim light was flattering to his face, highlighting his square jaw and flecks of gold in his hair. "Thank you. I'm good at what I do."

He smiled again, but before he could say anything, someone called his name. Or at least, that was what he said apologetically. "I have to go."

"Sure," said Gwen to empty air.

* * *

By the time Gwen arrived at work the next week, Viv was already in Catrina's office, their heads bent close. Gwen didn't need to be in the office to know that they were probably gushing over photos of Viv's masquerade party. Rolling her eyes, she slipped into her small cubicle and switched on her computer. Like she did every morning, she sipped at her coffee and opened up her email, dreaming of the day she would run her own business, no longer slave to the whims and fancies of Catrina.

A thank you email from Aiman.

Headline news from Camelot Daily.

Gwen placed her coffee down carefully and blinked. In her inbox, staring back at her, was an email from a Merlin Emrys.

"Hey Elena." Gwen leaned back and called to her cubicle neighbour and best friend. "How many Merlin Emrys do you know?"

"Only the one who's Prince Arthur's right hand man. Why? It's not a common name."

Gwen tried for nonchalant. "No reason. Just a thought."

Thankfully, Elena must have been busy because she merely grunted in reply and went back to her computer.

Gwen stared at her inbox again. Merlin Emrys. Then she frowned. The email address wasn't from the royal offices but from a personal email address, which was pretty odd. She opened it. It was only a few lines long, introducing himself then saying, quite cryptically, that he had a job for her but because of confidentiality reasons, they couldn't discuss it over email or in her office. Would she mind if she met him at a café that evening to discuss the job?

It was all very cloak and dagger. And very suspicious.

Gwen looked back at Viv and Catrina. Vivian might be a pain in the neck but she wouldn't stoop so low as to play a prank on Gwen. And Elena was still frowning at her computer screen. There was no way this was Elena's doing. The last time she'd arranged a surprise party for Gwen's birthday, she had blabbed to Gwen about it within an hour of planning it.

It could be real.

Gwen read it again.

This is of a sensitive nature and highly confidential.

Well then. If the royal Penn family thought that her ability to organise a gothic engagement party meant she could handle this secretive, sensitive matter, then who was she to say no? Her eyes went back to Viv and Catrina. Now, they were laughing over something Catrina had said. Viv might have been given Lord Cenred's masquerade party but a job with the royal family would be quite the coup.

 _I am free to meet you at Charlie's this evening at 5pm._

She wasn't, really but Lance wouldn't mind the rain check. She wondered what they needed. Royal families had their own staff to manage their complex and opulent lives. Perhaps the crown prince was getting married, finally, and they wanted her to manage the wedding arrangements. For some reason, the kingdom had gotten it into their head that he was getting older and needed to procure a bride and produce an heir as soon as possible. Newspapers and gossip magazines printed pages of words, speculating who would make the best match, comparing net worth and qualifications of various women. Despite Elena's bemoaning about how clinical it was, Gwen thought they might have the right idea – marriage should be a matching of minds, goals and status.

A reply popped up on her screen.

 _Good. I'll see you then._

* * *

All these years, Arthur had never known his father to be anything other than serious. He supposed that when his father finally decided to tell a joke, it might as well be a whopper.

"That's a pretty good joke, Dad. Your poker face is also very good. If this is it, I still have –"

"Sit down. I'm not done."

With a sigh, Arthur sank back into the chair. "You can't be serious. It's bad enough that the council is constantly shoving women at me. That 'important meeting' last week turned out to be a blind date with a very nice and very confused woman. Now, you're just going straight to marriage? I am not marrying Mithian. The last time I saw her, we were in secondary school!"

"I met her and her father last week. Mithian would make a suitable bride."

Arthur pressed his lips together.

"I think a merger between our two families would be a good thing." Uther leaned back into his chair and pinned Arthur with a look, one that Arthur knew very well. "And you need to get started on an heir."

"We aren't in the medieval ages when people married for power or land or babies." What Arthur didn't say was that if he was lucky enough to get married, it would be because he was head over heels in love with the woman. He had said that before only to have his father laugh at him.

"Do you have a serious girlfriend?"

"No," said Arthur grudgingly. "Not since Sophia and that was a disaster."

"You're not getting any younger. I had you when I was your age and the council doesn't like the fact that you're not married."

This time, Arthur couldn't help himself. "You're not married."

"I was, until your mother died." Only the slight tensing of Uther's jaw suggested that he felt anything at Arthur's words, but it was enough for guilt to swamp Arthur. Bringing up his mother was a low blow.

"I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sure you have my best interests at heart but marrying someone I don't know –"

"Here." Uther slid a folder across the desk towards him. "Everything you need to know about Mithian."

Arthur stared at the folder. "Does Mithian have a folder containing everything she needs to know about me?"

Uther nodded. "And unlike you, Mithian is willing to consider marriage to you."

"Why on earth would she?"

"Because it makes sense. Look what happened with Sophia – she wanted you because of your money and your position in this city. Mithian already knows the world we live in."

"I loved Sophia," muttered Arthur. It had been two years and it still hurt. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever move on.

"Exactly and she hurt you badly. Marry Mithian. All our cards are on the table and we know what we are offering each other."

"And what exactly are we offering each other?"

Uther folded his arms across his chest. "She will have enough money from us to rescue her failing estate and you will have a young, healthy wife to bear children with."

Arthur scowled at his father. "I'll lend her the money she needs to rebuild that monstrosity of a castle. Plus, I'd even work on the redesign for free. And she's a person, not a brood mare."

"She knows what is expected from her," said Uther coldly. "And you don't have access to your funds without my permission. Nor should you be tinkering around designing castles. You're the crown prince, not some architect."

Arthur huffed and crossed his arms. He didn't want to rehash this old argument again.

"This kingdom needs an heir and you need to provide one. Soon," continued Uther, clearly unconcerned with Arthur's mood.

"This is ridiculous." Arthur stood. "I am not going to marry because it's expedient. When I marry, it will be because I love my wife and I want to spend my life with her."

Uther gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Please. I don't know where you get your romantic notions from. Your mother and I were an arranged marriage and it worked out well. A marriage is more a business partnership than anything, especially when you're in our position."

"No. I am not marrying Mithian."

"Fine."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. Was his father giving in so easily?

"I'll make you a deal. Date Mithian and some other suitable women for six months and at the end of it, if you don't want to marry any of them, I'll never mention it again."

"Are you serious?" Arthur sat down again.

Uther sighed. "Make a good faith attempt to find a wife. It is the least you can do. After six months, if this doesn't work out, I'll tell the council to stop interfering in your personal life."

Arthur could do six months of dating Mithian. He barely remembered her but who knew, he might, as his father hoped, fall in love with her. And if this stopped the blatant matchmaking attempts by the council and the rest of Albion, all the better.

"Fine. Six months and no guarantees."

Uther nodded.

"And I want a contract drawn up. I love you, Dad, but I don't trust you."

* * *

AN: Writing a modern AU! I miss them. (Don't worry. Pirates will be updated and finished soon, well as soon as I can, that is.)


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen glanced down at her phone, then back up at the peeling paint and weather beaten signs that advertised healthy shakes and juices. The signboard said Charl s. Biting down on her lower lip, Gwen stepped into the cafe. It was small and while clean, definitely was in need of an update. Maybe a coat of paint and chairs that didn't look like they were salvaged from the dustbins of the past decade.

"Hello!" The man behind the counter was a handsome one and the smirk on his face suggested that he was more than aware of his attractiveness. With a quick toss of his head, he flipped the hair out of his eyes, leaned forward and smiled at her. "How can I help someone as gorgeous as you?"

"I bet you have a bunch of those compliments to hand out," said Gwen. "I'll have a banana smoothie."

He turned his back on her, presumably to get started on her banana smoothie. "I don't normally give out compliments. Yours is the only one."

Gwen laughed. Since she was early and Mr Emrys was not, she perched on a stool at the counter. "I'm sure."

The loud whirl of the blended put a stop to any conversation for a while and Gwen simply enjoyed the view of the man's muscles as he moved around the small area. How long had it been since she had been with a man? Certainly, Helios had been her last serious boyfriend and he had turned out to be a jerk of the highest order. And the only man who seemed interested in her was Lance, but even then, she couldn't quite tell for sure with how subtle he was being.

"A banana smoothie for the princess."

Smoothie man wasn't too bad and he seemed interested. "Thank you." She let her fingers brush against his, then smiled up at him.

"I'm Gwaine."

"Not Charlie?"

His smile was wide. "No. Charlie is, as I was told when I bought over this place, a dog."

"Hmmm."

"You still haven't told me your name. You look like a princess to me. So it's probably something like Sophia or Esmeralda."

Gwaine's words reminded her why she was seated in his rundown little café and all thoughts of a quick flirtation disappeared. Glancing at her watch, she realised that Mr Emrys was running late. She was a fool – there was no job with the royal Penn family. For all she knew, it was like one of those email scams she read about in the news every now and then. Thank goodness all she was wasting was time and she hadn't done anything like send him a cheque in the mail.

"Penny for your thoughts, Esmeralda?"

Taking a large gulp of the smoothie, Gwen slid off the stool. In her mind, it was a smooth action that would land her firmly on her two feet. In reality, her skirt caught on the stool and she had to grab the side of the counter so she didn't fall. "This was really good. How much –"

"Merlin!" Gwaine was no longer looking at her. Instead his wide smile was directed at the new man who had just walked in. Merlin Emrys, Gwen supposed.

It was Vivian who had the most dealings with the upper crust of society but it didn't mean that Gwen was completely ignorant, and this man who had just entered, with messy hair and ears that stuck out, and did not look the least like he belonged to that part of society, was definitely the crown prince's assistant. He shrugged off a long coat, which he draped carelessly on an empty chair.

Gwaine leaned across the counter, his smile getting bigger when Merlin sighed and kissed his cheek. So much for a fling, thought Gwen.

"I'm here on business," said Merlin, just as his eyes landed on Gwen.

"Esmeralda, this is Merlin. The silent partner of this wonderful venture."

"It's Gwen, actually." She stuck out a hand.

Gwaine made a noise but Gwen ignored him, her attention on Merlin. He did look a little like the man who was often photographed at Prince Arthur's side. Perhaps she wasn't here on a fool's errand after all.

"Merlin Emrys. You must be Gwen Degrance. Sorry I'm late."

Pushing a cup to Merlin, Gwaine looked curiously at them. "So you're here to meet Merlin for another stealth royal family matter. And here I thought you were interested in my shakes."

"Your smoothie is very good," said Gwen, amused by the exaggerated disappointment Gwaine displayed. "Very banana-y."

A smirk formed on Gwaine's face. "I'm a natural at this. The office is empty. Want some sandwiches?"

Merlin nodded. "That would be great. Thanks." He looked at Gwen. "Come. We can talk in the office."

The only reason Gwen could see that this place was termed an office was because it had a table with a computer on it. Movie posters covered the walls and a stack of paperwork perched precariously at the edge of the table. Merlin swept some books off a chair, then gestured for her to take a seat.

"King Uther was very impressed by the gothic party you organised," said Merlin. He picked up a pen and twirled it. "He thought that it showed that you were a person who was able to deal with the unconventional."

"I didn't realise his highness would be at the party. His name wasn't on the guest list."

A smile softened Merlin's face. "No. It was a personal event and he didn't want to attract the media."

Gwaine bustled in at that moment, dropping a plate of sandwiches on the table, grabbed a handful of papers, then left.

"Have a sandwich," said Merlin as he offered her the plate. "Gwaine's sandwiches are very good."

"Actually, if you don't mind, I would like to know why you wanted to meet with me. Surely it isn't just to praise my work."

"Before we do that, I will need you to sign a confidentiality agreement. Whatever we discuss here, whether you agree to do the job or not, will remain within these walls." As he spoke, he dug into the bag he carried and produced a thick document.

Gwen frowned. "I can't sign contracts with you without consulting my company lawyers. But I assure you that I will not divulge anything we speak about."

"I'm sure you can understand that I can't just take you at your word, as inclined as I am to believe you. Plus, I'm sure your boss will understand."

What harm could it do, wondered Gwen. It seemed perfectly reasonable that anything the royal family wants done would be kept hush-hush and Merlin was right, just the idea of working with the royal family would definitely cause Catrina to forgive anything. And, she was really curious now and she suspected that if she made a fuss about signing the agreement, Merlin would simply look for someone else to do whatever he wanted.

"Ok," she said.

"Great," said Merlin as she signed beside all the little, coloured tabs on the document. "May this be a start of a fruitful working relationship."

"I reserve judgement until I hear what you want me to do. I may handle unusual requests well but I draw the line at organising murders."

Merlin's grin was sudden and bright. "You'd be glad to know that this doesn't involve murder of any kind. It's worse. What I need from you is to organise the prince's romance."

In her years working for Catrina's lifestyle management company, Gwen had been asked to do many things from organising children's football leagues to buying gifts for loved ones, but she had never been asked to organise a romantic relationship before.

"I don't understand. Did you want me to organise dates for him and his girlfriend?" The prince had managed to keep his romance under wraps, a massive achievement, Gwen thought, in today's world. Ideas raced through Gwen's head. Intimate dinner dates, fun yet unusual activities. Perhaps a game of laser tag or a romantic overseas trip.

"Something like that. I need you to assist the prince in falling in love."

Gwen blinked. "You want me to play matchmaker?"

Merlin leaned forward. "Almost. You don't have to find the women. The King already has a list of women he has deemed suitable. What I need you to do is to organise the dates and make it such that the situation is right to encourage Arthur to fall for one of them."

"Isn't there a TV show that does this? One of those reality type shows that -" Gwen clamped her mouth shut. Here, the royal family was offering her a somewhat ridiculous job and she decided to mock it. Brilliant strategy.

But instead of taking offense, Merlin burst out laughing. Then he gulped in a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry but I just thought of the King's reaction to seeing Arthur on The Right Match. Plus, as fascinated as the tabloids seem to be by Arthur, he really isn't that interesting."

"Really?"

A smile tugged the edges of Merlin's lips. "He's pretty boring, but don't tell him I said so. Anyway, back to business, he needs to get married and you need to make it happen. We'll pay you your usual rate but there's a nice bonus if Arthur marries one of the women on the King's list."

Gwen thought of the partnership she was chasing. She thought of Viv's face when she learnt that Gwen was working directly with the royal family. She thought of how love and romance was messy and painful and perhaps this was the way to a happy marriage.

"This isn't very romantic, is it?"

"No. But that is the royal family for you," sighed Merlin and for the first time, Gwen suspected he didn't approve of this whole scheme. "And I am sure you appreciate the fact that the royal family would prefer a practical arrangement rather than a romantic one."

Gwen nodded. She definitely understood the appeal of a practical partnership. "And Prince Arthur is amenable to this?"

One side of Merlin's lips quirked upwards. "Of course not."

"He does like women, right?"

"Very much," said Merlin on a laugh. "It's just that he is a bit of an earnest romantic and this is, as you pointed out, far from romantic. If you're successful, the royal family will also hire you to organise all events pertaining to the wedding. It's a very lucrative job."

The faraway dream of running her own company, the dream she kept tucked in the deep recesses of her brain flickered to life. Getting the royal family wedding would be a huge coup and would definitely boost her reputation, which in turn would make venturing out on her own so much easier. "I'll do it."

Merlin nodded. "Good. I'll arrange for a meeting with Uther and Arthur. Bring your company lawyer but the actual details remain between us. To everyone else, including your boss, you're simply assisting Arthur with his hobby. Helping him organise and plan and whatever else his hobby entails."

"His hobby?"

"Architectural conservation."

Gwen couldn't help the snort that escaped. "Architectural conservation? I was thinking something along the lines of bird watching or hunting."

Again, Merlin laughed. "If he had it his way, it would be more of a career and less of a hobby. One more thing. I know this whole thing sounds really cold and practical but try not to let Arthur get hurt in the process. He – well, he feels too deeply sometimes. Just, keep an eye out for him."

Standing, she wondered what on earth she was getting herself into. "I'll do my best."

* * *

"I am perfectly capable of arranging my own dates," said Arthur as he retied his tie. Why was it so difficult to get it straight? With a growl, he undid the tie again and scowled at the crumpled piece of silk.

Merlin deftly took the tie from Arthur and noosed it around his neck. "I still remember your first date with Sharon."

"Sharon?"

"The nice heir of the Powell fortune who your father arranged for you to have dinner with?"

A vague impression of a smiling girl with short, dark hair shimmered in his mind but he couldn't quite remember her face. "I was still hung up on Sophia then. I didn't put in much of an effort."

Merlin raised an eyebrow and yanked at the tie, somehow producing the perfect knot. "And today, you're bringing your step-sister as your plus one. I don't think dating is your forte."

"Hey!"

Ignoring him, Merlin continued. "Gwen will make things go smoothly between you and Mithian or whichever other women your father digs up, help you talk and charm her, and perhaps you'll find that stars and fireworks romance you want so much."

Arthur remembered now. Sharon was the date who had said that while it was nice that he was prince and rich, he had the personality of one of those buildings that he wouldn't stop talking about, which Arthur was inclined to take as a compliment but the expression on Sharon's face suggested it was not.

"I'm charming enough. It's just – awkward." It was always awkward when your dates were engineered by your father.

Merlin tossed Arthur his jacket. "You're awkward. Now, come on. Morgana will have my hide if we are late picking her up."

"She's never on time, herself," muttered Arthur. Another duty party. Another evening full of pointless small talk. At least, it was Morgana on his arm, as annoying as she tended to be and it was held in an interesting Art Deco style mansion. Shrugging on the jacket, Arthur walked out of his room after Merlin.

They were kept waiting by Morgana, as usual.

"Tell me about this matchmaking person," said Arthur as he poked about in Morgana's apartment. It was one of those cookie cutter modern apartments that everyone with money seemed to be living in and Arthur wasn't a huge fan. He did approve of how green it was and his mind wandered again to castles and turning them into green buildings, without losing their unique architecture.

"Shouldn't you be asking about Mithian? She's the first one on the list."

"I already have a thick file on Mithian, courtesy of my father. I want to know about this person who thinks she can wave a magic wand and make Mithian or whoever and I fall in love."

Merlin sank into Morgana's plush sofa. "Well, she works for an event management company and she was the one who put together that Gothic engagement party."

"Oh." It had been a brief conversation but there had been an ease to it that Arthur rarely felt with others. "I think I might have spoken to her during the party."

There was a moment of silence before Merlin spoke. "Did you?"

"Short, hair in a bun, voice like chocolate."

"Sticky and bitter?"

With a laugh, Arthur tossed a cushion at Merlin.

"That cushion isn't cheap, I'll have you know." Morgana leaned against the doorway, the twinkle in her eyes giving away her amusement.

"Morgana. You look nice." It was no lie. Morgana was always perfectly put together, very much like her flat. Cool and untouchable.

She walked towards Arthur and slipped her hand in his arm. "And you have a properly tied tie. Did Merlin do it?"

"You know he did. Shall we? Dad is already texting me about our whereabouts."

* * *

AN: I had a great day at work today so I decided to celebrate by updating this. :D Also, my friend A is sick, so this is for her. Thank you for all the comments. They make me happy. :)


	3. Chapter 3

"Huh." That was Elena's only response but she packed a lot of meaning into that single sound. Around them, the small coffee place buzzed with activity, from students from the nearby university studying to workers on their lunch break. The smell of coffee filled the air, mingling with the soulless tunes that played over the speakers.

"It's a job with the royal family." Gwen slouched into the chair. "If I do this well, I might be able to quit my job and freelance more."

"I don't think we've ever entered into the world of matchmaking before," said Elena. "Why not hire a professional matchmaker?"

"It's all confidential. Hiring a matchmaker would be too obvious. Can you imagine the tabloids?" Gwen picked up her mug of tea and blew across the hot liquid. "Anyway, for whatever reason, they decided to go with me and I am not complaining."

Elena gave her a look over her own large mug. "Be careful. I wouldn't trust royalty."

"Oh, why?" This intrigued Gwen. She'd lived all her life in Camelot and the royal families were always part and parcel of Camelot life and she couldn't imagine it any other way. It wasn't as it they had much political power, technically, although she wasn't blind to the immense influence they wielded in other ways. Her own feelings for them, as an entity, ranged from vague fascination to indifference.

"Because they are rich and powerful and you should never trust the rich and powerful." Elena leaned forward. "More importantly, Uther Penn is a snake and has no qualms about lying to achieve his ends. I wouldn't be surprised if Merlin was the same."

"I liked Merlin. He seemed nice."

"Who don't you like?" At Gwen's raised eyebrow, Elena raised her hands. "Right. Vivian and Catrina."

"They are fine individually, but together?" Gwen shuddered. "Now, do you want the last bite of the cheesecake? Because it's begging me to eat it."

Laughing, Elena pushed the plate towards Gwen. "Have at it. Don't get it on that white blouse. You want to make a good impression tonight."

The conversation drifted to Elena's daughter, to Vivian and Catrina's latest annoying habits and then to Elena's good for nothing ex-husband.

"If this all works out and I can quit working with Catrina, I'd hire you," said Gwen. "Imagine the two of us working together. We'll conquer the personal concierge world."

"Me and my dog walking and cooking duties and you and your royal assignments? What a pair."

Gwen grinned. "I'm sure we'll work something out. When Arthur and his selected bride get married, they are sure to have children. You can work on the baby shower, the birthdays."

"Why don't you take things step by step? Go meet the prince tonight."

Gwen sipped her tea. "You're right. Shouldn't get too carried away. He might take one look at me and decide I'm not good enough."

* * *

Planning always made Gwen feel more secure. If you had a plan, and a plan B just in case, things was more likely than not to go well. As she stood outside the heavy gates of the royal residence, waiting to be let in, Gwen ran through her plan in her head. It was simple – smile a lot, be amiable and observe. The crown prince was well loved, thanks to no small part to his looks. The camera loved him, evidence in the covers of tabloids that he often found himself plastered across. And Gwen had enough experience to know that men with money and looks tended to love themselves too much.

While the royal family owned several castles around Albion, their living quarters was this large house tucked away in a lush forest. In her small car, she had had to navigate down a small road that took her through tall trees and until the clearing broke and the house loomed in front of her. The house screamed old money and when she finally was led into the main hall, the dripping chandelier and the paintings in large gold frames only served to confirm that view.

The young man who had let her into the hall gestured for her to follow him up the sweeping flight of steps. On the outside, Gwen strove to maintain a calm façade, as if all these were nothing new, but inside, Gwen couldn't stem the thrill of being in such a place and seeing how the royal family lived. She wondered if Catrina or Viv had ever been inside.

"If you wait here, his majesty and Merlin will be with you soon." The young man bowed stiffly, then left her alone in the small room. Thick, plush carpet covered the floor and Gwen wondered how inappropriate it would be if she kicked off her shoes and let her feet sink into it.

Smile, be amiable and observe. Do not be inappropriate.

Taking off shoes would be very inappropriate.

She wandered around the room and looked at all the large, looming portraits of royalty past, all staring down at her.

"Gwen!" The door was flung open with a bang, and Merlin walked in, followed by the crown prince. "I'm glad you came. This is Arthur, the crown prince."

Startled, she swung around, her heel caught on the carpet and she stumbled towards the prince, who had somehow lunged forward and caught her. Under her hands, his chest was warm and solid, and within seconds, she too knew how his hands felt on her as he steadied her.

Heat flooded her face as she jerked herself out of his hold. Amusement danced in his eyes and he held out a hand.

"Gwen. I'm Arthur."

She swallowed, shaken both by her stumble and by how attractive she found the prince. Sure, she'd known that he was good-looking, but in person, with a smile that crinkled the corners of his surprisingly bright, blue eyes, he made her body tingle. Clearing her throat, she managed to say quite normally, "Arthur. I'm Gwen. Uh, should I curtsey?"

His smile widened. "If you want. It is protocol."

Despite having practised the curtsey in front of her mirror several times, Gwen was pretty sure she was making a mess of it, going by the grin on his face and the laughter in his eyes.

"Great curtsey," said Merlin, once she returned to a standing position. "Now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, let's get down to business. Come, let's sit somewhere comfortable."

Merlin walked to another room, one that was just as luxuriously furnished, yet seemed a lot less impersonal. Photos filled the surfaces of the room and a glance at a few of them showed happy photos of a young family frolicking in various places in Camelot, some she recognised, others she didn't. One particular photo of a garden caught her attention. The garden was nowhere as large or as manicured as the palace gardens she had passed earlier, but there was a certain rugged, untamed charm to them. Without thinking, she reached out a hand and touched it.

"That's at my house in Ealdor." The prince was suddenly next to her, his arm brushing against hers, making her shiver.

"It's very pretty." In the distance, she could see the manor which the prince referred to. She didn't say that it looked rundown and not somewhere she would want to stay in. But pride was evident in his voice earlier and Gwen didn't want to upset him.

Merlin groaned. "Don't encourage him. He can talk about Ealdor House forever. Here, let's sit down."

Once the three of them settled down around a large mahogany table, which Gwen surreptitiously ran a hand across, Merlin pushed a dangerously tottering pile of folders towards her. "These are the women the King has picked as being suitable for Arthur."

Arthur rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Merlin continued. "You should probably take some time to look through them. Get to know them, since you will need to endear Arthur to them -"

"I don't need Gwen to sell me to them!" Arthur crossed his arms and slouched into his seat, the tiniest hint of a pout on his face, making Gwen smile. He looked like a sulking golden labrador.

Gwen turned to Merlin. "Is there a folder for the prince as well?"

"God, I should hope not!" Arthur shot up and looked at Merlin. "Dad didn't make you put together a dossier on me, did he? Oh God. Has he been circulating them to all the eligible women in Camelot?"

"He did think about it," said Merlin with a grin. "I offered to dig out some photos from your childhood -"

Arthur groaned. "You did not. Please tell me you told him it was a terrible idea."

"Morgana -"

Arthur groaned again and rubbed his face. "Why is my sister involved in this?"

Gwen could see that Merlin was literally squirming with glee at Arthur's reactions and she wondered what the relationship was between him and the prince. Right hand man seemed too inadequate a descriptor.

"She does have some great stories to tell about you. Like that time you dropped -"

"Swear to me that there is no such dossier, because you put a stop to that nonsense." Arthur leaned across the table towards Merlin. "Or you're accompanying me to Ealdor House next week."

Merlin let out a faux-aggrieved sigh. "Of course there is no such dossier. I convinced your father that doing so would make you even more uncooperative in this mission."

"Mission," muttered Arthur. "Right." Then he turned his bright, blue eyes on Gwen. "Do you have a plan already to get me married?"

"Well," said Gwen after taking a deep breath to quell her nerves. She had come up with a draft plan but without knowing the women or Arthur better, she was reluctant to share it. "It's nothing special right now, but I'm thinking that obviously, both parties have to get to know each other better. So based on your shared interests, I'll come up with a number of activities that would be fun and would facilitate getting to know each other."

"So no dinner dates?"

"Some people like dinner dates!"

Arthur looked at Merlin. "That's because you and Gwaine are obsessed with cooking and food."

Gwen cleared her throat and the two men returned their attention to her. If she hadn't known of Merlin and Gwaine, she would have thought that Arthur and Merlin had something going on, and she was here to arrange some sort of cover up relationship.

"I will need to get to know you better, Arthur, before I can work out what activities would be most suitable. And since there is no convenient dossier of you, I think it would be good if we could spend some time together so I can ask you some questions."

"Before we do that, we should discuss the parameters of this, the expectations we have of you and various other nitty gritty stuff," said Merlin as he pulled out a folder of his own.

Absurdly, Gwen felt a tickle of amusement at just the number of folders that were involved in this. Then, as she looked up as Merlin rambled on, Arthur caught her eye, looked at the piles of folders on the table, then smiled, a small, secret smile that seemed aimed just for her.

And her heart stumbled.

Oh crap.

* * *

Gwen was definitely the woman he had spoken to at that gothic party. A woman who knew what gothic was and evoked it brilliantly. How could he not like her already? And then, there was her voice. Not sticky and bitter, but smooth and warm. As she and Merlin hashed out details of the deal, he mostly sat there and watched the animation in her face and enjoyed the cadence in her voice. Despite how his father had bullied him into this, Arthur wasn't completely averse to the scheme. It was time he stopped brooding over what might have been with Sophia and he did like the idea of being in a relationship with someone.

Plus, Merlin had said that Gwen, aside from helping him find a potential wife, would also assist him with the restoration of Ealdor House. It was supposed to be her cover for hanging around him, but maybe, if he had someone to keep him on track, to help with all the finicky details, he could actually get the place done. He'd bought the place over a year ago and the assessment and survey of the place had taken up a lot more time than he'd expected. But now, once he had all the information, he could actually start to work out a plan to restore the Tudor residence.

"When will you be free for me to get to know you better?"

Merlin jabbed him in his thigh, jolting him from his imaginings of his home.

"What -"

"Gwen wants to know when she can get to know you better." Merlin grinned. "I have to say, there isn't much point to that. Arthur -"

"Shut up. I don't know how Gwaine puts up with you," muttered Arthur as he pulled out his tablet. His calendar was full of plans to work on his house and it looked like his father's brilliant new idea had put a crimp in his plans.

Unless.

"My father didn't say I have to stay in Camelot for this, right?"

"Well -" said Merlin. "That wasn't really mentioned."

"Good," said Arthur. He put his tablet down and beamed at Gwen, who looked adorably confused. "How about we spend next week at Ealdor House and you can get to know me better?"

Arthur supposed it might have been a little foolish to have expected Gwen to squeal with excitement about his plans, he still couldn't help feeling disappointed when her brows furrowed even more and she looked like she was on the verge of saying no.

"I was told you'd be helping me with the restoration, so we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Of course," she said primly. "I'm sure I can arrange for that to happen."

"Brilliant. This is working out wonderfully already," said Arthur. "I can't wait to show you Ealdor House."

Merlin and Gwen continued to chat a while more, working out schedules and other such stuff, while Arthur simply allowed himself to look at her. Now and then, she would lift her head, catch his eye and press her lips together in disapproval, but he could see the flush of her cheeks. She was a pretty one, easy on the eyes and Arthur didn't think he'd have much trouble working with her. She also seemed highly organised, which was definitely a skill he lacked. Yup, agreeing to his father's plan had been a smart idea. Gwen would help him restore Ealdor House and maybe he'll fall in love, maybe he wouldn't. But he'll have a lovely Tudor residence far from his father once this was all done.

* * *

AN: Did quite a bit of writing over the weekend! :D Thanks for all the comments.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright," said Gwen minutes into the drive to Ealdor. "What's so funny?"

"You." The road was clear, so he turned to look at her, unable to stop himself from smiling. She had a bright red patterned scarf wrapped around her head, and large sunglasses on. "Mind you, I'm not laughing at you because you look terrible or anything. It's just that you look - well, like you just came out of one of those road trip movies from the early 90s. It's cute."

She frowned and, from behind her sunglasses, slanted him a look, one that was ruined by the slight upturn of the corners of her lips, her very soft-looking lips. "When Merlin told me that you were going to drive me to Ealdor in a convertible, I felt like I had to dress for the occasion."

"Mmm." He turned his attention back to the road. Speeding cars and careless drivers might be the bane of the city roads, but here, the danger was the animals who sometimes wandered on the roads. "As I said, it's cute."

"Don't you have a driver anyway?"

"When I'm in Camelot. City roads are terrible. But outside the city? I find driving relaxing. Plus, if George had driven us, we would be in the limo, attracting far too much attention and I wouldn't get to see you all decked out like this."

"And a convertible isn't attention grabbing?"

Arthur laughed. "It is, probably. But Ealdor is a thriving village making a living off tourists who fancy themselves living in some sort of sanitised medieval village. And despite being in the medieval ages, you'll see lots of other people who want to live out their dreams of being in an 90s road trip movie."

"You'll never let me live this down," said Gwen but he could hear the amusement in her voice.

"Maybe." He grinned. "It's at least another two hours before we reach so why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Me? I should be getting to know you. I spent the whole weekend looking through the files on your prospective brides."

"And what did you think?"

She shrugged, a graceful movement. "They are very disparate. I thought I would be able to get a glimpse of what you deemed important in a partner, but to be honest, the selection of women seem very random."

"You didn't notice their pedigreed backgrounds?" Arthur himself hadn't looked at the list of women. All he knew was that Mithian was one of them, but knowing his father, an impeccable background would be top of his criteria.

"That I did. Is that all that matters? Surely you have some preferences. Some do not wants."

"Gregorian chants. Can't stand them."

"So a woman is off the list if she's a Gregorian chanter?"

"Or chantee."

He heard her stifle a giggle.

"Hey. You started with the made up words."

"Chanter is not a made up word," said Gwen between giggles.

"It's not if you're talking about bagpipes. I'm pretty sure those people who stand around in old churches chanting away are not called chanters."

She giggled again. "Right. Deal breaker number 1 - Gregorian chanting."

"Your turn. What's your deal breaker?"

Gwen shifted in her seat, turning to face him. As she did so, the skirt she wore hiked up and Arthur caught sight of a smooth, toned thigh. He swallowed and told himself to focus on the road.

"Who's doing the matchmaking here?"

"Talking about myself all the time is going to get boring. Come on. You're going to spend the next three days with me. You have plenty of time to get to know me."

She shook her head and the scarf slipped a little. "Why don't you tell me about Ealdor House then?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Sneaky. But since you asked. I bought her last year and the plan is to get her restored. She's built in a Tudor style but years, decades actually, of neglect has left her in bad shape."

"Will you sell it when you're done restoring it?"

"Sell it? No. I hope to make it my home."

"Ah, so you'll need a wife who wouldn't mind living in a pretend medieval village."

"Good point," said Arthur. "I don't suppose any of the women on the list mentioned wanting to live in a medieval village."

"Unfortunately, no. But this gives me an idea. Why don't we bring the women down here? Then you can see how they feel about living in Ealdor while spending time working on your house. Plus, I imagine it will be a little more private than you dating in Camelot."

"You," said Arthur, "are a genius."

Gwen smiled at that, a wide, bright smile that made his heart swell and made him want to coax it out from her more often.

Then her smile faded into a look of awe. "Oh my. Look at that."

* * *

Gwen had lived all her life in the city, with only the occasional trips out into the countryside. None of those trips had prepared her for the breath-taking vista that spanned in front of her as Arthur's fancy convertible turned the corner. The ocean, with it's white crested waves and jagged rocks, stretched as far as she could see, and the cloudless sky seemed to take on a blue so clear it looked like glass.

"Can you see the ocean from your house?"

"Not from the main house, but there is a private path that climbs to a cliff that overlooks the ocean." Arthur's fingers flexed on the wheel as he maneuvered the car along the narrow, winding road. He had nice hands, and the sudden memory of those hands grasping her hips the first time they met flashed through her head, sending the most inappropriate feelings rushing through her body. Thank goodness for sunglasses and skin that didn't show blushes easily.

As they drove, Arthur started, then kept up, with her encouragement, a running commentary of the sights they passed. An abandoned farm, a Georgian style church, the remains of a fort. It was clear that not only did Arthur know a great deal about the area, he had real affection for the place and its history. He rambled on about the various people who had come to Ealdor and attempted, and in some cases, succeeded in taking control of the place, before the whole of Albion was united, sort of.

Gwen watched him, glad that her eyes were covered by her over-sized sunnies. He too had sunglasses on but the lack of a scarf meant that his short hair danced in the wind, making her itch with the desire to run her fingers through it, if only to see if it felt as soft as it looks. Candid photos in the tabloids did not do justice to him. As a living, breathing person, Prince Arthur was far from perfect. A pale scar stretched across his hand and without the help of Photoshop, his skin was far from flawless. Yet, altogether, he was still incredibly good looking, aided by no small measure by his clearly fit body. Her eyes lowered to his thigh. Yes, very fit.

Which was a silly thought and she had to stop seeing him as an attractive male and start seeing him as her client. A client whose prospective marriage to someone who wasn't her would net her a cool sum of money. Still, it was early days and she couldn't argue herself out of just simply enjoying the view. Look, don't touch, she told herself. What harm could that do?

Arthur eased the car in off the winding mountain road and within minutes, they passed under a large, wooden sign, artistically burnt, announcing their arrival at Ealdor - Medieval Village of Yore. Gwen read out the words, then lifted an eyebrow. Within moments, Arthur parked the car outside a large stone building.

Sliding his sunglasses up, he smiled. "Welcome to Ealdor."

Gwen looked around. "Is your house here?"

"Oh no. This is the village center. We've been on the road for a while so I thought we could stop for a stretch and some food. And to use the toilet."

At the reminder of food, her stomach rumbled obligingly causing Arthur's smile to widen. Gracefully, he got out of the car, then walked over to her side and opened the door for her.

"Come," he said, one hand reaching to help her out of the low slung car. "I'm sure you've always wanted to know what it was like to live in a time of death and disease."

"Very appealing," muttered Gwen as she placed her hand in his. "It's a wonder women aren't beating a path to your door to live here with you."

* * *

The village wasn't very large. From her estimation, one could probably walk through the whole place in about an hour or so. Stone cottages with thatched roofs lined the main street and Gwen recognised a bakery, a tavern and a smithy. There were other cottages further away, and Gwen assumed that they were residences. Two types of people milled around the area. Those wearing modern clothes like them and spoke in hushed, excited voices, fingers pointing and phones snapping. Then there were the people of Ealdor, dressed in what Gwen could only assume was standard peasant medieval wear.

Arthur led her into the large stone building that apparently functioned as some sort of visitors' center. The walls were lined with a variety of brochures and a large chalkboard cheerfully announced an upcoming May Day fete, complete with fluttering ribbons and stalks of corn decorating its border.

Immediately, the people inside dropped into curtsies more graceful than she had ever achieved in the last week. The curtsey she'd attempted when she arrived at the royal residence had led to Arthur steadying her with a hand at her elbow and barely hiding a smile. Again, heat had flared in her cheeks and she had offered a flustered apology which he had brushed off.

"My lord. It's good to see you here again. And this is -" Curious eyes landed on Gwen.

Stretching out a hand, Gwen smiled. "I'm Gwen. I'm assisting his lordship here on the restoration of his house."

Gwen could see that the woman behind the counter didn't quite believe her, but she smiled and pumped her hand with great enthusiasm. "Ah, so the young prince is finally going to work on his house?" Her eyes moved to Arthur and a slight frown appeared between her eyes. "Surely you won't make her stay in that terrible place."

"Ealdor House has historical value, I will have you know." But Arthur was smiling and it was obvious that this was a familiar banter between the two of them. "Since she is too rude to introduce herself, this is Freya. She's the village chief."

"He means manager of this place." Freya adjusted the bonnet on her head. "If you're not staying with the prince at Ealdor House, you'll need a room at the Olde Boar Head."

"She would," said Arthur. "Which is why we are having this conversation. What does Hunith have cooking today?"

"I just had some of her cabbage and leek pottage. I believe she had a pig roasting as well. You might want to get there before those tourists do and before they discover they have the actual Prince of Albion wandering around here. They might make you pose at the sword in the stone for photos. Again."

Gwen peered up at Arthur. "That sounds like a story I would like to hear."

Arthur snorted. "It's a search term away. You don't need me to tell you. Now, I know you're hungry. Let's go hide in a nice, dark booth in the Olde Boar Head."

In one smooth motion, Arthur slid his sunglasses back on, then took her elbow quite firmly and steered her out of the visitors' center. Bright sun shone down on them and the tourists still lingered on the main street, happily taking turns to pose with a farmer and his cow. Deftly, Arthur led her past them and past a souvenir store and into another stone building.

"I'm surprised this isn't called Ye Olde Boar Head," said Gwen as she stepped into the restaurant.

She could feel Arthur's amusement. "Probably thought it was too cliched."

Cliched was an understatement. Anything and everything that could be thought of as vaguely medieval seemed to have been stuffed into this small room. Wood tables and chairs took up most of the room, standing on rough wooden floor that was lined with a generous helping of straw. A roaring stone fireplace stood in the middle of the room and a counter covered most of the back wall. While a few heads raised to look at them, most of the customers continued with their meal and drinks and paid no attention to them.

Arthur found them a small table tucked next to the counter, far from most of the other customers. A waiter, dressed unsurprisingly in medieval style tunic and trousers, dropped a couple of menus on their table and after a quick perusal of the small menu, they made their orders.

"So," said Gwen. "You must come here often. At least, you and Freya seem chummy."

Arthur nodded. "I do. Mostly when my father is being his overbearing self."

"Like now."

"Mmm. Like now, with the whole matchmaking thing."

"I'm sure he means well."

Unlike the previous smiles he'd directed at her, this one didn't reach make his eyes crinkle. "In a way. He doesn't believe in love and he thinks that as long as some boxes are ticked, any two people can have a happy marriage."

Now they were getting somewhere. Gwen itched to take out her notebook and write down Arthur Penn's Thoughts on Love and Marriage but she didn't. Partly because it didn't seem right, and partly because Arthur had decided to stretch and the t-shirt he was wearing rode up, revealing to her a slice of pale, muscled skin and a trail of blonde hair that was leading her head down the gutter.

"You don't share the same thoughts?" Gwen dragged her eyes back to his face.

"Not really." His voice dropped and he leaned towards her. "I'm swearing you to secrecy, but I want what Gwaine and Merlin have. They are in love, they are happy and they are going to spend the rest of their lives being the most annoyingly perfect couples who wear matching t-shirts."

"And you want that?"

"Well. Maybe not the t-shirts. But I do want more than a list of common interests and working body parts."

His words made her laugh. "Don't you think that love fades eventually and then, all you will have left is a list of common interests and working body parts?"

Arthur tilted his head, his eyes boring into hers. "You don't believe in love."

Before she could reply, he reached across the table and took her hand, turning it over so her palm faced up. "You've never been in love? Never done anything foolish because you wanted to hear that person's laugh? Never wanted to take on someone's burdens so they don't struggle so much?"

With each word, he stroked her palm with his finger. And with each stroke, heat built in Gwen, deep, warm and needy.

"Never looked at someone and thought that even the sun couldn't compare in beauty?"

Gwen was never happier to have two pewter tankards slammed onto their table, the beer within sloshing over the edges onto her hand. Yanking her hand away, she looked down, rummaging in her bag for a piece of tissue and tried to steady her heartbeat.

Was he flirting with her?

Instead of pulling out a piece of tissue, she took out her notebook. When she looked up, two spots of pink dotted Arthur's cheeks and he seemed to find the restaurant's exposed beams very fascinating. She cleared her throat and he looked at her, a mix of embarrassment and apology in his eyes.

No, he hadn't been flirting with her. He had just gotten carried away with the idea of love.

"Gwen -"

She uncapped her pen. "No, I don't particularly believe in love. But my beliefs don't matter. We've spent a good half day together and I still don't know much about you except that you can drive and you want to restore a crumbling mansion. Why don't you answer a few questions for me while we wait for our lunch?"

* * *

AN: I would like to point out that I am no medieval expert or architectural restoration expert so if there's anything ridiculous, close one eye? Again thanks for the comments. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur darted a glance at Gwen as he drove away from the village and onto the path that would lead them to Ealdor House. He should have dropped her off at the tavern and suggest that they reconnect again the next day when he had slept off his embarrassment. But, he'd asked, in an attempt to break the awkward silence between them, if she wanted to see Ealdor House and she, probably out of politeness, had said yes.

He had already tried to apologise for taking her hand during lunch, but she'd brushed it off and started rambling on about what she had read about Mithian and the ways in which she would be a good match for Arthur. Honestly, Arthur had no idea what had come over him. Perhaps it was the feeling of vulnerability that had come over him when he'd confessed that he was envious of what Merlin had. Perhaps it was the fact that in the Olde Boar Head, amongst the chatter of slightly inebriated customers and bright, unflattering lights, Arthur had the sudden realisation that he had enjoyed Gwen's company more than he'd expected. Either way, when he had touched her hand, the softness and warmth of her skin and the brown depths of her gaze had made him feel something in his heart he hadn't felt since Sophia, and as usual, his brain switched off and he started to sound like a third rate romance novelist. Not that there was anything wrong with that - he was given to believe that they made a pretty good living - but people wanted their cheesy romance between the covers of naked men and half-naked women and not in real life.

As they cruised along the long, empty road that led to his estate, Arthur snuck a look at Gwen. She'd undone her scarf which was now knotted around her throat and her curls danced in the wind. She was staring at the passing scenery, and Arthur wasn't sure if she found it as gorgeous as he did or if she was simply minimising contact with him. With an inward sigh, Arthur moved his thoughts to all the things he wanted to start on at his house.

The truth was, Ealdor House was, at this point in time, less than impressive. And so when he turned past the large, iron gates, he wasn't surprised that Gwen's only reaction to it was a muted huh. This time, she didn't wait for him to help her out of the car. Pulling off her sunglasses, she squinted at the buildings that stood in front of them.

"Well?" The question came out a lot more defensive than Arthur had hoped. He cleared his throat and softened his tone. "What do you think?"

"I think," she said slowly, her eyes on his face, as if searching for a clue to how to react, "that it has potential."

Arthur didn't realise how much he had been hoping for her to like the place and he swallowed the disappointment that coursed through him. Trying to mask his feelings, he said teasingly, "I suppose that is as neutral as you can get without hurting my feelings."

For the first time since he touched her hand during lunch, she smiled, her eyes lit with humour. "I'm sorry." She waved her hand at the scene in front of her. "You have to admit, to a layman like me, without the years of architectural education you have, it looks like a bunch of crumbling buildings. But, I am open to being persuaded."

"Are you asking for a tour?" Instinctively, Arthur offered her his arm, before realising that it was probably a terrible idea following that incident at lunch.

"Lead the way." She seemed to have no qualms slipping her hand through his arm and she looked up at him. "Show me what you see."

And with those words, Gwen the matchmaker-cum-restoration-assistant slipped a little bit into his heart.

Pushing open the front door, Arthur led Gwen into the reception room. Silently, they walked together to the middle of the large room.

"This is where guests would have been received. The large stone fireplace over there has been damaged by a fire but you can still see most of it there. Look up. Can you see the original crown post ceiling and bare oak beams? Those, I believe, are original to the house and aren't they just glorious?"

He stopped talking and looked at Gwen. He knew he had a tendency to get a little carried away when he talked about his buildings, and the last thing that he wanted now was to turn Gwen off. She was looking around the room, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"I like the door," she said quietly, uncertainly when the silence grew longer.

"It's original too, but it needs repair." Arthur walked to the door and poked at it, causing bits of wood to crumble. "A lot of the wood here is rotting and there's a definitely structural damage, but they are all salvageable. Or at least I hope so."

"And so you plan to restore this place to its original state?" She turned slowly. "It looks like it'll be a lot of work."

"Yes. I know that." Arthur shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and waited for her to echo his father's opinion that this was a foolish dream.

"You've been working on your own so far?"

He shrugged. "Mostly. I drew up most of the plans and did some of the work. I've hired help now and then, when I need it."

"And how long have you been working on this?"

"A little more than four years." Any moment now, Gwen would declare this a waste of time and money. Goodness knew she hadn't fallen in love with the place the moment she stepped in, not the way he had when he first saw it.

What Arthur didn't expect was the gentle hand that she laid on his arm. "Well, you have me now. I might know nothing about restoring a house like this, but project management is my forte."

"Oh?"

"Believe me," said Gwen with the most adorable, cocky tilt of her head and grin on her face. "I'm great at getting things done. We can get a good part of your house done by the time you find yourself a nice woman to marry."

We.

Warmth flooded him. He had always been alone when it came to this house. Even Merlin thought of this place as his eccentric hobby, a silly indulgence of a prince with far too much time on his hands. But suddenly, as he stood there, in the middle of the reception room, with Gwen at his side, Arthur didn't quite feel so alone.

* * *

"This is - wow." Gwen spun around to look at Arthur. "Did you do this?"

He nodded. He was leaning casually against the large wood table, his hands in his pockets, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Amazing."

At that word, he smiled, his whole face lighting up with pleasure and Gwen wondered if anyone had appreciated just how much he had done. This much smaller cottage - previously a servant's quarters according to Arthur - had been fully restored and done up. The Tudor-style cottage looked exactly like something out of a postcard, with its thatched roof, soaring chimney and stark blackened oak timbers. But it was the inside that left her speechless.

The main hall wasn't as large as the main house but it was decorated in warm colours. The stone fireplace, smaller than the one in the main house, dominated the room. Surrounding it were a couple of plush armchairs and a large sofa, strewn with pillows. Tapestry hung on the walls that were not lined with bookcases.

"I can't take credit for the interior design." Arthur pushed himself from the table. "I had someone come in and do it."

"Still, I like it very much. It's warm and cozy. I can imagine a family living here."

The smile still on his face, Arthur nodded towards the back of the cottage. "Let me show you the rooms."

Gwen loved the cottage. From the antique looking windows and bare oak timbers to the warm, lush furnishings. A four poster bed was the centerpiece of Arthur's bedroom, and when he laughed and nodded after she asked if she could test his mattress, she'd bounced on it a few times, then declared it perfect.

"So you get to stay in this lovely place while I get a room above the Olde Boar Head?" She was still on his bed. He stood across the room, his arms crossed over his chest, an unreadable expression on his face.

"The house isn't very big."

"But there is a spare room. WIth another four poster bed."

Gwen liked it when Arthur smiled. He was the kind of person who smiled with his whole face, his eyes crinkling.

"It gets lonely here."

Tucking her feet under her, Gwen leaned forward. "The way I see it, if I stay here with you, I could help you with the restoration and at the same time I could plan for Mithian to come down for a visit."

For a beat, Arthur didn't say anything although he kept his eyes on her. Then, with a shake of his head, he walked towards the door of his room. "I'll get the bags. You make yourself comfortable."

Gwen grinned at his back. Then with a sigh, she left the comfort of his bed. She poked about his room - a photo of him and Merlin after completing some race, another one of him and his sister at a black tie event - before she walked to the spare room. It wasn't as luxuriously furnished as the main hall and Arthur's room but it had an equally inviting four poster bed. She dropped herself on it, pleased that it was every bit as comfortable as Arthur's.

* * *

Seeing Gwen bounce on his bed had not been good for his libido. Nope. Not when her hair and other assets had bounced as well and it was all he could do to stop himself from crossing the short distance between where he was standing to the bed and gather her into his arms.

What a mess, Arthur thought, as he lifted their bags out of his car. Liking his matchmaker was one thing, and she was eminently likeable, but feeling this attraction to her was inconvenient. He had known she was attractive the first time he'd met her, but he'd been thrown into the path of many attractive women by his father and never felt this pull towards any of them. Her declaration that they would tackle Ealdor House together, then her utter awe at his small cottage only served to make him want her more. He could already see her lying on his bed, her hair spread across his sheets, wearing that smile that made his heart do flips and very little else.

And now she wanted to stay in the cottage with him.

He groaned, tightened his grip on the bags and recited the alphabet backwards as he walked back to the cottage.

"Gwen?" He peeked in his room, but it was empty. Dropping his bag onto his bed, he wandered to the spare room. "Gwen?"

It was as if his fantasy of Gwen in bed earlier had manifested itself. She looked like a sleeping angel in the bed and after he placed her bags down, he walked over to the bed and took in the image. Unable to help himself, he touched her hair, pushing away a lock that was across her face.

* * *

Gwen splashed some water on her face and ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't believe that in the few minutes it took Arthur to get their bags, she managed to fall asleep. And now, it was evening and she could smell something being cooked. She wondered if Arthur had a cook come in to prepare meals. She certainly couldn't imagine the prince cooking.

The kitchen, while in the style of the rest of the house, was thoroughly modern and when she turned the corner into it, she saw Arthur, slightly bent over, staring into the oven.

"You know the saying, a watched oven never cooks."

"Ah. Did you sleep well?" Arthur straightened up and smiled at her.

Gwen felt herself blush. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

His smile widened. "I must have bored you with my ramblings about the place."

Gwen sat down at the breakfast bar and propped her face on her hands. "What are you cooking?"

"I'm just heating up a casserole. Hunith fills the fridge with meals for me when I visit and all I have to do is pop them in the oven." He opened the oven and pulled out the casserole. "I hope you're hungry."

They ate at the breakfast bar, chatting easily. Arthur continued to share his plans for the house and Gwen took mental notes. Despite his words, Arthur was not the least boring when he spoke of the house and while a lot of what he said flew over her head, she enjoyed listening to him.

"So," said Gwen, as she pushed her empty plate away and hopped off the stool. "Here is what I suggest we do tomorrow. You can take me on a tour of the village and the area around the house so I can start to plan Mithian's visit. Then, you decide which part of Ealdor House you want to start work on and make a list of things that need to be done."

Arthur grabbed the plates and dropped them into the sink. "Sounds good to me."

"I'll wash and you can dry."

"You're bossy," said Arthur with amusement as he obligingly took up position next to her at the sink with the dishcloth.

Blushing was become too familiar and yet, she couldn't help herself. "It's not everyday I get to boss the crown prince around."

Arthur laughed, moved and bumped against her, causing her to drop the spoon she was washing. In retaliation, Gwen splashed some water at him. He tossed the dishcloth at her and she ducked, stepping on his toes. Arthur grabbed her waist as she stumbled, his laugh rumbling into her ear. Her hands were still wet, so she waved them at Arthur, sprinkling him with water, but instead of letting go of her, he only held her closer.

Then, with one arm tight around her waist, Arthur reached over to the sink, turned the faucet on and splashed the water at her.

"You!" She spluttered, laughing.

Both his arms came around her. Gwen stopped struggling and stared up at him, her heart pounding, whether as a result of the exertion or because Arthur was looking at her as if she was more beautiful than the sun.

He, she thought vaguely, was more beautiful than the sun.

Then, Arthur, the crown prince, the man she was supposed to find a wife for, dipped his head and kissed her.

* * *

AN: Thank you for the comments! I hope you enjoyed this part. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur wasn't sure what he expected but whatever that was, this kiss far surpassed it. When his lips first touched hers, she'd gasped and stiffened. Then, just as he was about to break the kiss, step back and offer her yet another apology, her hand fisted his shirt and she kissed him back. It was an uncertain, almost nervous kiss but her lips were moving over his and her other hand cradled his cheek.

The kiss probably lasted no more than a few seconds, and for a few moments after, Arthur rested his forehead against hers, letting his fingers tangle in her curls.

She cleared her throat but didn't pull away. Then her tongue darted out and she licked her lips, sending a sharp arrow of desire shooting through Arthur.

"Gwen," he rasped, ignoring the urge to kiss her again. At lunch, he was holding her hand like a lover and by dinner, he was kissing her. At this rate, by tomorrow he would be marrying her. Not that it seemed like a bad thing at this point in time.

"We shouldn't have done that."

Her breath tickled his chin and he smiled. Unthinkingly, Arthur rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Soft, like so much of her. Soft and smooth. He wondered if the rest of her felt the same.

"No," he replied. He made no move to let go of her and she made no move to leave his hold. "We shouldn't have."

"I'm supposed to find you a wife. I have folders of very suitable women." Her thumb ran across his chin. "I shouldn't be kissing you."

"Mmm." Emboldened by the fact that Gwen didn't seem to be struggling to leave his hold, Arthur rubbed his nose against her hair. "Definitely shouldn't be kissing."

"Maybe you're just lonely," said Gwen. "No recent female company."

Arthur leaned back and cocked an eyebrow. "And what's your excuse?"

"Never kissed a prince before." This time, she moved and he let go of her, even as his body protested in disappointment. "It was nice and you didn't turn into a frog."

Taking a step back so he wouldn't be tempted to yank her into his arms again, Arthur smiled. "Good to know I didn't disappoint. I guess we won't be doing this again."

"No. It was a -"

"Don't say it was a mistake."

The corners of her mouth tilted up. "It was a bad idea at any rate. We both know that."

Arthur was hard pressed to say why it was a bad idea but he didn't want to push Gwen, so he made noises of agreement.

"I'm going to do some work now. You can finish up the washing?"

"Yup." He turned back to the sink before she left the kitchen, but he knew the moment she stepped out. Letting out a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. Then, he closed his eyes and replayed the kiss.

* * *

"Eggs?"

This time, it was Gwen in the kitchen, a spatula in her hand, her curls pulled into a tight ponytail and dressed in an oversized t-shirt and bright purple pajama trousers. Arthur stifled a yawn and in a mirror of what happened the evening before, slid onto the stool at the breakfast bar.

"You look too perky for this time in the morning."

"I'm a morning person," she said as she turned back to the stove, giving Arthur a view of her pert backside. He grinned and enjoyed the view. "Eggs?"

"Yeah, sure." Noticing a pot of coffee, he helped himself to some. "I was thinking of working on the house a bit today."

"Have you put together a list of things you need to get done on the house?"

"Well, I thought I'd walk through it with you and you could make a list."

"Ah," said Gwen with amusement. "Putting me to work already."

Arthur took a sip of the coffee and winced. Too bitter. "Yeah," he said as he walked to the larder and took out the sugar. "I do want to get started on the house."

"Mmm. After that, can we take a tour of your land and then the village? I want to invite Mithian down in a couple of days and I need to plan your date."

Arthur couldn't help the scowl that formed but at least Gwen was still cooking at the stove. "There's nothing much to do in the village frankly. I don't suppose you think Mithian would be interested in fixing a thatched roof."

"No, but she does like fashion and I'm sure there must be some interesting events that get hosted in the village." She turned and passed him a plate of scrambled eggs. "Pepper?"

"Thanks. Come eat too." There was something oddly domestic about this whole scene and the burgeoning plan that he'd hatched in the wee hours of the night began to take more shape.

Gwen sat next to him. "I think Mithian and you will get along. For one thing, did you know that she's heir to a crumbling mansion?"

"I am not marrying someone for their mansion!"

Her laugh made him smile. "Of course not, but it is appealing, isn't it? She's also very involved in various animal charities and a great horse rider. I believe she even took part in some dressage competition."

"Ok."

"You have horses. You two could go horse riding together."

"I admit I enjoy horse riding but -"

Gwen lifted a hand. "It's a good start." She counted off her fingers. "Crumbling mansion. Rides horses. Kind heart."

Arthur sighed. "Fine. Maybe she and I will hit it off."

"Good. You should keep an open mind and open heart. She is gorgeous too, by the way." Gwen took a forkful of egg, then grinned at him.

You are beautiful, Arthur wanted to say. Instead he reached out and wiped a bit of egg from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes widened at his touch but she didn't pull back. The temptation to replace his thumb with his lips was strong but he resisted it. He had a plan and it meant taking things slowly. Withdrawing his hand, he smiled back at her.

"Thank you."

Arthur didn't miss the roughness of her voice and the way she immediately avoided eye-contact with him. "No problem."

* * *

 _Hi_

 _I hope you're not regretting going to Ealdor House with the prince. The king would like an update on things. I think he's hoping that Arthur would have picked a bride by now._

 _Cheers, M_

 _Hi Merlin_

 _Things are going well here. Mithian has agreed to come down in two days. I'm feeling quite positive and I've planned a great day for her and Arthur._

 _Gwen_

Merlin had no idea how much she was regretting coming to Ealdor House. She was supposed to get Arthur married, not fling herself at him. For one thing, she was pretty sure the king did not view her as appropriate wife material and for another thing, she was a professional. Prince Arthur might kiss like a dream and have a smile that made her want to jump him, but she had a job to do and the contract was very clear. Arthur had to go on dates with all the shortlisted women until he decided upon one of them for a wife, or until he had dated them all, whichever came first.

After a moment's hesitation, she clicked on the send button, then walked over to the window and stared at Ealdor House.

Yesterday, she and Arthur had come up with a list of things that needed to be done and prioritised them. Structural repairs would be done by an expert team who would be coming down in a few days, but they could get started on the leaking roofs now. Then, Arthur had let her take the car down to the village where she'd spent a good few hours coming up with things he and Mithian could do.

The people loved him, Gwen had quickly learnt. They seemed to see him as an unofficial leader of the place and were far too willing to sing his praises when she asked about him. According to the people of Ealdor, he was generous and kind. It was because of him that the local government continued to fund the village and while Gwen suspected that Arthur had his own agenda, it was still clearly a positive thing to do.

Freya in particular seemed to harbour a bit of a crush on the prince and his right hand man. "Merlin doesn't come here often but he never misses the May Day fete."

"Sounds like the fete is a highlight." They had been in the Olde Boar Head, sipping at decidedly unmedieval gourmet coffee. "When is it again?"

"Next weekend. You should come. It will be fun." Freya clasped Gwen's hands across the table. "We should get you fitted for a dress! Oh this is going to be so much fun."

Gwen laughed. "An actual medieval style dress?"

"Yes. Not one of these shift like things we wear normally. Something fancy. How often do you get to do that?"

"Not very often at all. It does sound fun." It sounded like something fun that Arthur could do with Mithian or any of his other dates. "Tell me more about the fete."

Gwen spent more time than she expected with Freya as their conversation meandered from the fete to Freya's ambitions for the small village and Gwen's career plans. By the time Gwen reached the cottage, Arthur had already started dinner and when she updated him about her plans for Mithian's visit, he'd somehow convinced her that she should do a trial run of the date with him.

But first, roof repairs.

* * *

The phone tucked between his ear and shoulder, Arthur tried to pull his shorts on, hopping madly around the room, before finally leaning against the armoire, panting.

"I hope you're not having sex while on the phone with me," said Merlin.

Images of being in bed with Gwen, her limbs entangled with his, her hair spread across his chest, sprung into his head and he scowled at the phone, hoping to convey to Merlin his utter annoyance with him. "Get your mind out of the gutter. Gwaine is a terrible influence on you. Why are you even calling me at this time of the morning?"

"Your father wants updates and he wants them now."

Finally Arthur managed to yank his shorts up. "Tell him that I have an actual, honest-to-God to-do list when it comes to Ealdor House."

A pause. "I think he's more interested in whether you have a to-do list for finding a wife."

Arthur grabbed a t-shirt from his bag. He had already woken up later than he wanted and he suspected Gwen was not the type who was late for things, which meant she was probably in the hall waiting for him right now while he was half-naked, and trying to think up something that would get Merlin off the phone.

"Surely Gwen is giving you updates. Hang on." Dropping the phone onto his bed, Arthur quickly pulled on his t-shirt then glanced at himself in the mirror.

"Arthur!" Merlin's tinny voice rang from his bed. "Hey, Prince of Albion!"

"Stop calling me that." Arthur snatched the phone up. "What?"

"What does Gwen think about Ealdor?"

"She loves it, because she has taste, unlike you."

Merlin's laugh poured into his ears. "Right. Anyway, I'm also calling to see how you are, if you've chased Gwen away already with your boring monologues on buildings."

"Well, as you can tell, I haven't. In fact, I think hiring her is the best idea my father has ever had, but don't tell him that. Otherwise, I'm good. I'm always good far away from my meddling father."

"Good," said Merlin. "Some of us have to work, so I'll see you next weekend for the fete. By the way, Morgana wants to attend to."

"Mor - what? She hates anything outside the city. Why on earth -"

"Hey, you're not the only one excited about your impending nuptials."

Arthur scowled again. "There are no impending nuptials. And I thought this was all confidential."

"You try keeping secrets from Morgana. Your father is so pleased with his plan, he spilled the beans almost the moment you left for Ealdor."

"Brilliant. Guess my father is still twisted around Morgana's finger."

Merlin laughed once again, said a quick goodbye and then hung up, leaving Arthur still scowling at his phone.

Arthur took one last look at himself in the mirror, then made his way to the hall, where he found Gwen curled up on the sofa, her hair in a bun, frowning slightly and biting on her lip as she perused some papers. For a moment, Arthur stood at the entrance to the hall and took in the scene. She looked like she belonged in this home, and for the first time in years, Arthur found himself wanting a family to fill his home here.

"Hey. What are you reading?"

Gwen twisted around. "You're late. I've been reading Mithian's file. I thought that as we worked on the roof this morning, I could tell you more about her."

"Huh. Sounds fascinating."

"She is fascinating. She seems really suited for you." As Gwen talked, she unfolded herself from the sofa and stood, Arthur saw that she was dressed in a loose, strappy top and very snug shorts, revealing both her brown, slender legs and shoulders.

"Am I dressed ok?"

"Yeah, although I hope you have a hat. The sun is not going to be friendly."

From somewhere, she produced a large, completely impractical, floppy pink hat which she put on. "All ready. Let's do some roof fixing."

* * *

Gwen was not a fan of heights, something she revealed to Arthur when halfway up the ladder to the roof, she started shivering and then her legs simply refused to move.

"Are you alright?" Arthur called from below.

"Umm, I don't think I'm going to make it further up than this." She wasn't sure if she was going to make it down either, since at this moment, her hands were gripping the sides of the ladder so tightly, she was pretty sure blood had stopped flowing.

"Come on down then," said Arthur. "I'm holding the ladder."

She tried, but her legs were trembling, her heart was racing and images of herself lying flat on the ground, bleeding, kept going through her head. "I don't think I can," she said as a mix of cold fear and sharp humiliation coursed through her. Gwen could not imagine what Arthur thought of her now. Definitely not the professional, competent woman she wanted him to think.

"Ok, we'll do it together." Suddenly, Arthur was immediately behind her, his chest pressing against her back, his arms encasing her, his hand just above hers on the ladder. "I'm right behind you so if you fall, I'll fall and I'll cushion your fall."

Even though Arthur's closeness eased her pounding heart, Gwen still found herself unable to move. When Arthur realised that she was still not moving, he gently covered one of her hands with his, slowly easing her fingers from the ladder.

"It'll be fine," he murmured. "Just one step down. Come. You can do this."

Slowly, Gwen managed to lift one foot and set it on the rung below.

"Good. I'm still here. One more step." And with Arthur's encouragement, with his arms holding her, Gwen finally made it all the way down.

Once her feet touched solid ground, she sagged with relief and Arthur pulled her into a hug, those arms which had supported her coming down, tight around her. Her hat fell off, onto the muddy ground and she buried her face in his neck. When she finally calmed down enough, Gwen raised her head.

Arthur pushed her hair from her face, then kissed her forehead. "You know, this is the sort of thing you should mention before agreeing to fix roofs with me."

"I didn't think it would be that bad," Gwen confessed, embarrassment catching up with her now that her fear was fading. She wanted to step out of Arthur's embrace yet she didn't."I'm sorry. I did want to help."

"Well, we are just stripping the roof for the thatchers to work on it. I can do it alone."

"You can but history suggests that you'll get distracted, and then we'll have a half-stripped roof."

"Have you been asking about me?" Gwen could tell that Arthur's indignance was feigned and she smiled. He shook his head but grinned back at her. "But you're right. You can keep me on task here on firm ground. I'll toss the thatch down and you can gather them up for disposal."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I don't like it," said Arthur.

"Why? You -"

"It means I have to let go of you."

This time, Gwen's pounding heart had nothing to do with her fear of heights. "Arthur -"

He let go of her and took a step back, bending down to pick up her hat, which he placed back on her head. "I know."

Gwen wasn't sure what he knew, but she nodded anyway because getting herself entangled with Arthur was not in her job scope.

* * *

AN: Too much fluff probably but I'm really enjoying writing this. Thank you for all the comments!


	7. Chapter 7

Gwen knew what Arthur was up to but apparently she had no willpower when it came to him. All he had to do was smile and give her some silly reason about rehearsing for the date with her playing the part of Mithian, and she caved almost immediately. And now, as she waited in the hall for him after changing into more suitable clothes, she couldn't deny that she was a little excited.

Maybe a bit more than a little.

The roofing was not completely done because, true to all the stories about Arthur, he had been distracted by a million things, things that she had noted down into her trusty notebook and would have to spend the evening sorting out because the prince's mind jumped from one thing to another like a child's. But his enthusiasm was infectious and even as she tried to keep up with Arthur, she found herself smiling.

With a shake of her head, Gwen picked up Mithian's folder. She had to stop thinking about Arthur and start thinking about how to make him fall for one of these women. By now, she could practically memorise Mithian's details and honestly, if she was Arthur, she couldn't imagine what there wasn't to like about the Lady. The headshot showed a gorgeous brunette and behind, there were pages and pages extolling her virtues, her extensive charity work and her A+ people skills. They travelled in the same exclusive circles and shared a similar upbringing. Any dating app would match Arthur and Mithian. The thought of King Uther using a dating app made her giggle.

"What's so amusing?" Arthur stepped in front of her. A smile played on his lips and he offered her his hand, which she took after a moment's hesitation.

He didn't let go.

"I was just thinking about how suited Mithian is for you."

His smile faded and he shrugged. "Maybe on paper. I haven't really interacted with her in years. You look nice."

"Thank you."

"If you were Mithian, you would curtsey," said Arthur, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Gwen hadn't curtsied in front of him since the last clumsy one she executed at the royal residence. "Come on, you want this to be authentic, don't you?"

She yanked her hand from his, shot him a glare, then jerked into a hasty curtsey. As she rose, she stumbled a little and Arthur quickly caught her, both his hands on her upper arms. His thumbs circled against her shoulder, sending little darts of heat through her. She pulled away. "Happy?"

"Very. Now, let's go ride some horses."

"As I mentioned, this is a flawed plan because I can't ride," said Gwen.

"You can ride with me."

"Mithian wouldn't do that. She would ride her own horse and impress you with her tricks."

Arthur blinked, then burst into laughter. "Oh Gwen. I don't know what you're imagining, but Mithian isn't going to be doing any tricks while she rides."

Pressing her lips together, Gwen tried to act as if Arthur's laugh had insulted her. Clearly, she wasn't successful as Arthur took her hand, sliding his fingers through hers and gently urged her to the door, not in the least concerned that he had upset her.

"I think I will like horse riding as much as I like climbing ladders."

He laughed again, then stopped walking and turned to face her. He cupped her face and the laughter disappeared from his eyes. "If you get scared, we'll just walk the horses. Alright?"

"Then how would that be -"

"Gwen, you need to stop being Gwen, the project manager and Mithian, the Lady of something or the other."

"She is the Duchess of Nemeth."

Arthur took her hand again. "Mmm. When she arrives, you'll need to curtsey too. Now, let's go horse riding."

Gwen had only seen the barn from afar and the route from the cottage to the barn was along a muddy track, something she was going to include into the list of things Arthur needed to see to. While she wore sensible shoes, the going was still tough and she found herself leaning into Arthur for support, or so she told herself. After her foot sunk into some mud and she bumped against him as she attempted to free herself, he had slung his arm around her shoulder, steadying her.

"Excalibur is in the stables in Camelot city, since I spend most time there, but Chestnut is a great horse as well. You'll love her and if you decide to learn to ride, she's a gentle mare to begin on."

Finally, they reached the barns and the stable hands quickly bowed and curtsied, in more graceful manner, upon seeing Arthur. For a while, Arthur engaged them in small talk, introducing Gwen then asking about his horses. The two stable hands seemed more than eager to inform him about his horses. As they did so, Gwen poked around the place. Like the cottage, no expense had been spared and the three horses looked healthy.

"Do you want to ride on your own?"

Gwen shook her head. The horses were beautiful but they were also huge and scary. No way would she put her life at their mercy. She watched as Arthur saddled the horse she assumed was Chestnut. His movements were confident and he did it while continuing to chat with the stable hands. Then, he was reaching for her.

"One foot here, then swing yourself across."

It took a few tries and a boost from Arthur, but Gwen finally sat astride the horse. In one smooth movement, Arthur was behind, his arms coming around her to hold the reins. Twice in one day, Arthur had his arms around her and she was getting far too used to it.

With a flick of his wrist, the horse started to move and Gwen bit down on a squeal.

"Relax." Arthur breath brushed against her ear. The reaction her body had to that made it even harder for her to relax but she let out a breath and tried, focusing her attention not on the hard body that pressed up against her back, but the gorgeous scenery that they rode past. Bit by bit, Gwen started to enjoy the feel of the wind against her face, the excitement of being in control of such a strong beast and the simple joy of just being in nature.

* * *

When Gwen finally relaxed in his arms, Arthur urged the horse on, pleased when Gwen's reaction was a delighted laugh. So when they approached the picnic area, Arthur couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he would have to relinquish his hold on her.

"It seems to me," said Arthur as he laid out the picnic mat, "that the crown Prince of Albion shouldn't be doing this."

Sitting on a nearby rock, Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that the Duchness of Nemeth should be serving you?"

"I wouldn't dare. Perhaps you should come -"

Gwen tossed a pebble at him. "Don't finish that thought."

In the backpack, Arthur found some sandwiches and a tumbler of tea. He suspected that on his date with Mithian, the food would be a little more elaborate. He peeked into one sandwich, took the one with egg inside and passed the tuna sandwich to Gwen. They ate in companionable silence with the sound of distant birds and a nearby running lake for company.

"Tell me, my lord," said Gwen as she sat daintily, her feet tucked beneath her. "What do you do for fun?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I fix up old houses."

Gwen clapped her hands. "Isn't that such a coincidence. I happen to have a crumbling mansion."

Trying not to laugh at Gwen's impression of a Duchess, Arthur nodded. "That is a coincidence. Are you looking to restore it?"

"Why, yes." Gwen smiled and Arthur was slightly disappointed that she didn't choose to bat her eyelashes at him. "I would love to hear your thoughts on that."

"That could be arranged. You could send me the blueprints, perhaps I could make a visit and we can see how it goes." If Gwen was going to play at this, Arthur could play his part too. He moved closer to where Gwen was sitting and touched her cheek. "What do you do for fun, my lady?"

Her throat moved as she swallowed and Arthur had the sudden urge to press his lips to her neck. Gwen lifted her chin, as if reading his thoughts, and said, "I ride."

Arthur knew the moment Gwen realised the double entendre when her gaze slid from his and she quickly added, "horses."

"I'm sure you're very skilled at that," he said, letting his finger slide down her cheek to her chin, then nudging it so that she looked at him again.

For a moment, Arthur could practically see the desire that shimmered between them. Gwen looked at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips and Arthur was pretty sure that his own expression mirrored hers.

He leaned forward.

She jerked backwards, then shook her head, a small smile on her face. "You're not bad. You didn't need this rehearsal."

Arthur dropped his hand, returned her smile, and flopped down onto the picnic mat, flinging his arm across his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing, trying to calm his pounding heart and wrestle his desire to more manageable proportions.

"I'm curious," said Gwen after a while, as she reached for the tumbler of tea. "Why is your father doing this?"

Arthur removed his arm and turned his head to look at her. "Surely you've read the tabloids. I'm getting older and the world will cave in if I don't produce an heir."

"Well, I know that but you're not exactly unattractive or awful -"

"Thank you," said Arthur wryly.

"- so why resort to this? Couldn't you just attend a few parties -"

"Frankly, I have no idea what goes on in my father's head. I suspect it's that dratted Lord Cenred's engagement. My father is very keen on keeping up with the competition."

"You never know. All these women all seem very appealing and -"

Arthur pushed himself up. "I don't want any of those women."

"You promised -"

"I did. And I know that you need to get me to go on dates with all these women." He took her hand. "What I want is to get to know you better."

"Arthur -" But she didn't pull her hand away, even as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"I don't want to play games. Not with you, not with all these women who are going to be heading down to Ealdor. I like you, Gwen. And if there is any woman I want to date, it's you."

"I don't know anything about old houses."

Arthur smiled. "No and you can't bear heights."

"I can't ride horses either."

With his other hand, he cradled her cheek. "No. On paper, you'd be a terrible match for me. But, in real life -"

He moved closer and she licked her lips. He was so close that he could feel their breaths mingling. They stayed in that position for a while, then she moved that tiny distance and her lips brushed against his.

At the touch of her lips, his heart squeezed and desire rolled through him. Like their previous kiss, it was light and tentative, almost chaste except for all the lust he was feeling. He was surrounded by her scent, her taste, her touch. Then, Gwen's tongue stroked his lips and a groan was wrenched from him. He parted his lips, giving her access as his hands moved to her waist, his fingers touching the exposed skin between her jeans and shirt. Gwen shivered, then pressed herself closer to him, a purr of pleasure rumbling through her. She fisted his hair and the slight pain from her tug only served to enhance the pleasure that coursed through him.

Far too quickly, Gwen broke the kiss. She closed her eyes, her chest heaving, then let her head rest against his shoulder. Arthur slid his fingers into her curls.

"This is completely unprofessional," she finally said, lifting her head to look at him. "My career is important to me."

Arthur looked at her, her curls escaping from her ponytail, her eyes dark with emotions. Unable to help himself, he took a stray curl between his fingers. "Your contract is to get me to date all those women in those folders."

"Yes."

"Then, we'll do that." The disappointment that crossed her face vanished quickly but Arthur caught it. "I'll date all those women but I don't want to drag it out. Once I've done that, and if, no when, I fall for none of them, then your job with my father is over."

"That is true, but if you don't enter a serious relationship with any of those women, I won't get my bonus."

Surely money wasn't that important to her. "That is true."

She smiled and then tension in him eased. "But if I don't get my bonus, then I suppose I might get to date the crown prince."

"You might." He smiled back at her. "Seems to me a very likely possibility."

Gwen was still smiling even as she shifted away from him. "But in the meantime, we have to keep things professional. And that means no kissing."

It was an entirely sensible request yet Arthur couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment. "No kissing," he agreed. "But we get to know each other, be friends."

She stuck out a hand, and with a laugh, Arthur shook it, holding on to it a little longer than proper, enjoying the feel of her skin beneath his. Joy sparked in his veins and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"So what happens now?" Gwen withdrew her hand.

Arthur lowered himself back down onto the mat and slipped on his sunglasses. "Since we can't kiss, why don't you tell me what you do for fun? You already know what I do."

* * *

AN: Happy Valentine's Day!


	8. Chapter 8

"She loves seafood so I've arranged for some fresh seafood to be delivered. Could you work with that?"

Hunith frowned at the paper in front of her, made some scribbles, then raised her eyes to Gwen. "I hope you're not expecting some fancy 5 star restaurant food. Not with the kitchen I have."

"Oh no. Your food is good."

"Then what is with the constant hovering? I got your list and you've already been through it with me twice." Hunith shook a paper at Gwen, the frown still on her face.

Heat rushed to Gwen's cheeks and she dipped her head. "I'm sorry. I can get like this when I'm stressed."

Gwen looked up when a gentle hand landed on her hand. "You're not used to the royals."

"No. Not really."

"Well, when you're Prince Arthur's favourite playground, you get used to them here pretty quickly. Don't worry so much. We'll do our best to charm Lady Mithian." Hunith's voice dropped. "After all, we all want to see Arthur married."

"Yes. We all do," said Gwen with a nod.

"And Lady Mithian would make such a good match for the prince. I've seen photos of her and she's gorgeous. Imagine the babies that she and Arthur would have."

"Gorgeous babies, I'm sure." Gwen tried for a bright smile. "I've several more errands to run so thank you once again."

Once Gwen stepped out of The Olde Boar Head, she let out a breath. She ddn't actually have any other errands to run but making small talk about Arthur and Mithian's hypothetical babies wasn't exactly something she was keen on. Also, she had to return to Ealdor House to check that Arthur hadn't poached the men working on the pathway to the barns to work on something that caught his fancy.

Still, as she carefully drove Arthur's sleek car down the now familiar route back to Ealdor House, Gwen couldn't help but replay Hunith's words in her head. The King was no fool. He hadn't just picked Mithian, or any of the other women, out of a hat. He knew Arthur, knew what Arthur would think is important in a partner and knew what Arthur would find attractive. She flexed her fingers on the wheel and let out a breath, trying to expel the uneasy feelings churning in her stomach. When that didn't work, Gwen ran through her to-do list in her head.

"Heard the car," said Arthur as he opened the door for her. "Did you get everything done?"

"I did. Did you?"

"If that is your way of asking if I stole the people working on the path, then the answer is no. I checked on them and they should be finished with it before sunset. But -" Arthur snagged her hand. "I want to show you something."

Gwen enjoyed the feel of Arthur's slightly rough hands against hers. They might not have kissed since their picnic, but there had been a lot of touches. Arthur held her hand often, pressed his to the small of her back and she wasn't any less culpable, touching his shoulder to get his attention, leaning against him when they painted the walls. Again, as they walked into Ealdor House, Gwen remembered Hunith's words.

This was a bubble - she was taken by a handsome prince's attraction to her and he was taken by someone who appeared to support his dream of restoring Ealdor House.

"Careful," said Arthur as they walked to a room at the back of the House which housed a clutter of things. According to her list, Arthur was supposed to have been working on taking stock of the room tomorrow, before Mithian's arrival.

"What about your fireplace?"

He shrugged. "I took the measurements and some notes. Then, I thought I would see what we had stored here. And look what I found."

Gwen focused on the area Arthur waved his hand at. "Oh. Wow. Is that stained glass?"

Arthur grinned, his eyes lighting up with pleasure. Letting go of her hand, he ran a gentle finger across the glass. "It definitely is. And it's in rather good condition. I'm going to have to call in some experts to look at it but I think it's pretty authentic. I think it belongs to one of the windows in the great hall. Someone must have taken it out and replaced it with plain glass."

"Why would they do that?"

"Poor taste," said Arthur. "You need to include that in our plan for the house. If I made a few phone calls, I could get someone to come in and look at it tomorrow -"

"No. Mithian is coming tomorrow."

"Ah. Perhaps the day after?"

"You do realise that you're pretty booked for the next two weeks," said Gwen. Then at the look on Arthur's face, she sighed. "I'll check when we can squeeze that in. It would help if you followed the schedule we drew up."

He was holding her hand again. "I did work on the fireplace."

"Right."

He squeezed her hand. "If you heat up dinner, I can finish up with the fireplace."

Gwen glanced at her watch. "Ok. Dinner in an hour?"

"Sounds good." He dropped her hand once they reached the great hall. For a moment, he just looked at her. "This no kissing thing was a horrid idea."

Gwen patted his cheek, even though she agreed with the sentiment. "You'll survive. And tomorrow, you might change your mind about kissing me when you've met Mithian."

Arthur covered her hand with his, keeping her palm against his roughened cheek. "I'll see you at dinner then."

"Yes," she said, her hand still caught between his cheek and hand.

Then, he moved his head slightly, his lips brushing against her palm. It was barely a kiss, but that soft touch alone sent shivers through her and ignited a pulsing desire that wanted more.

"Arthur -"

He dropped her hand and took a step back. "See you at dinner."

* * *

No kissing. What a dumb, foolish thing to agree to, because now, instead of working on the fireplace, Arthur found himself thinking about Gwen and her lips and the feel of her skin beneath his. At least he'd made his feelings for her clear and she hadn't laughed in his face or outright rejected him. The irony made him smile - his father had sent her to get him married, and she was definitely nudging him in the right direction.

Then his phone vibrated.

Slightly after an hour, Arthur pushed open the door to the guest cottage. The fireplace blazed and the place was filled with the welcoming smell of pie. Gwen was perched at the counter, writing in that notebook of hers. It would be so easy, so right to walk to her and kiss her, hopefully distracting her from whatever was putting a frown on her face.

Only, he had news that would probably make her frown more. And of course, there was that no kissing deal.

"Just in time. Do you want to eat now or wash up first?" Gwen dropped her pencil and turned to look at him.

"Eat. I have bad news."

Arthur supposed bad news was relative because Gwen seemed to see the news that he had to return this weekend for some important fund-raiser as a challenge at most.

"All I have to do," said Gwen as she looked through her notebook, "is cancel Lady Brianne's visit and possible Lady Laura. Since Lady Laura spends most of her time in Camelot, we could arrange for her to meet you in Camelot -"

He didn't want to go back to Camelot. He hated being at his father's beck and call. He wanted to stay in Ealdor with Gwen and work on the house and it annoyed him that all Gwen talked about was reorganising his dates with all these women he didn't want to date. As she prattled on about the changes in schedules and so on, Arthur stuffed himself with chicken pie. At least that was good.

"Arthur?" He met Gwen's eyes, then as if she could read his mind, her own eyes widened slightly and she put down her spoon. Her hand rested on his forearm, her thumb caressing her skin. "Oh Arthur."

"I don't want to go back to Camelot." Arthur knew he sounded like a spoiled child. "We had all these plans for the house and I was looking forward to seeing the place get restored."

She smiled. "It's not like we won't return. I did promise Freya that we would attend the May Day fete."

Arthur let out a sigh. "I know. It's just so frustrating how much my father controls my life. You're here because he has decided I need a wife. I can't do much more than dabble in restoration because I have duties as the crown prince."

"You rather not be crown prince?"

"Yes." He ran a hand through his hair. "No. I admit, there are perks to being crown prince. There are homes I've been able to buy so they don't get demolished, and sitting on the Heritage Board gives me a lot of influence. I'm being a spoilt brat, aren't I?"

Her laugh washed over him, replacing his annoyance with warmth. "Yes. Very much so. In penitence, I think you should do the dishes today."

When she looked at him this way, her eyes bright with teasing humour, her lips tilted in a smile, curls escaping from her ponytail, all he wanted to do was kiss her.

The agreement was a bad idea anyway.

He cupped her face, waiting a while for her to move away, to do the sensible thing, but she didn't. Instead, her smile faded and she blinked. He whispered her name. She licked her lips. He groaned, then drew her closer.

"We shouldn't," Gwen murmured as their lips touched, barely.

Just that light touch was enough to heat the blood in Arthur's veins and it took all the self control he could muster not to immediately deepen it.

"Probably not," he said. "A very bad idea."

"Sometimes bad ideas are the best ones."

Arthur could barely parse her words. The feel of her lips moving over his was all he could concentrate on. "Gwen."

"Just one," she said hoarsely as her hands slid around his neck. "Just one kiss."

He didn't need a lot more persuasion, his lips parting as he tugged her even closer, nipping and sucking on her sexy, bottom lip before finally, settling his lips over hers and taking all that she gave him. His fingers dug into her hair, loosening it from the band and hers were wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Just one," Gwen said again as she broke the kiss, dropping her head to his shoulder.

Arthur stroked her back and closed his eyes, willing his arousal to ease.

"You have a date with Mithian tomorrow." Gwen lifted her head.

"Horse riding and a lunch picnic."

"Maybe you'll like her."

Arthur smiled. "Not as much as I like you."

"We don't know that."

"I do."

Arthur could tell that Gwen didn't really believe him, but she nodded, smiling slightly as she pulled away from him. "Wash the dishes," she called out as she walked from the kitchen. "I'm going to take a shower."

* * *

Gwen glanced at the clock again. Only a minute had passed since she last looked at it.

"Which door do you think would look better?" Arthur was sitting on the sofa, focused on his tablet. "The door to Ealdor House is unsalvageable so we will need to install a new one."

Dressed in a crisp polo shirt that she'd just ironed in the morning and jeans that hugged his bum, Arthur was looking very good. Which was what she wanted. She didn't want Mithian seeing scruffy Arthur in his old t-shirts and shorts, his usual attire as he worked on Ealdor House.

"Gwen? I swear, you're more nervous than me. Come here."

"Of course I'm nervous. I want Mithian to like you."

Arthur put his tablet away and raised his eyebrows. "Really? You want her to like me?"

"Yes! That's part of my job."

"Hmmm. Have you practised your curtsey? Mithian will expect you to and you don't want to topple on her."

"I do not topple over when I curtsey."

"Show me."

Gwen frowned at Arthur, then shook her head. "No."

"Come on. You're being very impertinent to the Prince of Albion."

That ass of a prince was smiling as he waited for her to curtsey and Gwen couldn't decide if she wanted to smack him with one of those oversized cushions that dotted the room or kiss him. But Arthur was right. Mithian would expect her to curtsey.

Shifting her foot behind her, Gwen bent her knees. That part went well. It was when she was attempting to rise from the curtsey that things usually went wrong. And again, she stumbled and she caught herself before Arthur got off the sofa, his arms reaching for her.

"Happy?"

Arthur shook his head. "I think you probably shift your weight when you bend and that's why you're off balance when you rise."

"Have you ever curtsied in your life?"

Arthur moved even closer to her, dipping his head to whisper into her ear. "I'm going to tell you a secret. You must promise to never tell another soul."

His warm breath against her ear sent the most delicious feeling through her body. "I promise."

"Morgana used to make me practise the curtsey with her."

The image of tiny Arthur practising how to curtsey with his step-sister made Gwen smile while at the same time melted her heart. Why was he so damn adorable?

"So, as you can see, I'm quite the expert. Let's do the curtsey again."

"What?"

"Just curtsey but don't get up."

Obediently, Gwen dipped into a curtsey, then she jerked when Arthur stepped even closer and placed one hand on her back and the other on her stomach. His voice was once again at her ear as he urged her to rise slowly, straight up.

If she couldn't rise with any manner of grace on her own, why did Arthur think she could with his hands on her? She didn't want to rise gracefully. She wanted to fling herself into his arms and find out once and for all how his hands would feel all over her.

"You can do it," whispered Arthur, mistaking her hesitation for fear.

So she did.

And she didn't stumble.

"Brilliant," said Arthur. His hands were still on her, burning through her shirt. It would be so easy for her to turn slightly but last night, she'd already indulged herself, allowing a kiss that shouldn't have happened.

Then suddenly, Arthur released her and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up attractively. He swallowed. "She's here."

Only then, away from Arthur's intoxicating presence, did Gwen hear the car. She patted her hair, then smoothed her dress. When she looked back, Arthur was back on the sofa. "Open the door, curtsey then announce her."

"Yes, of course." Arthur was just doing what needed to be done, Gwen told herself. She shouldn't feel slighted by his sudden distance.

Readying herself at the door, Gwen waited for the knock.

It took a while but it came and she flung the door open.

"Lady Mithian, Duchess of Nemeth."

Gwen smiled at the young man and nodded. Then she raised her eyes to see Lady Mithian in all her gorgeous beauty.

"My lady," she said, dropping into a curtsey.

"You must be Guinevere. I'm pleased to meet you."

"The prince is inside. If you would follow me?"

Gwen led Mithian further into the hall where Arthur was standing. He smiled and offered his hand, which Mithian took as she curtsied, far more gracefully than Gwen could ever imagine doing.

Arthur kissed Mithian's hand and Gwen looked away.

"I will leave you two now, if you don't mind," said Gwen.

"Thank you for arranging this. I'm looking forward to my day here." Mithian was now standing next to Arthur, smiling.

"I hope you have a wonderful time, my lady. My lord." Gwen dipped her head, then walked to her room, all the time trying not to think about how good Arthur and Mithian looked together, just like Hunith had predicted.

* * *

AN: Thank you for continuing to read and for the comments.


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur dismounted, then secured Chestnut to a tree. "You are a fantastic rider," he said to Mithian who had already secured her horse. He only had vague memories of Mithian when she was a teenager. Then she had been a tall, scrawny tomboy. Looking at her now, she was still tall but more slender than scrawny, and she had clearly blossomed into a Duchess. And now, Arthur wished Gwen was here so he could whisper to her about how it seemed all the royal women looked alike. But she wasn't. Gwen was probably back in the cottage, lounging on the sofa, writing in that notebook of hers, probably rescheduling his whole life. And calling up the list of people he'd passed her. She had put as much effort into his house as she did trying to get him married, and for that he was immensely grateful.

"Midnight is a good horse." Mithian cultured tone interrupted his thoughts.

"She is, but only someone as skilled as you could ride her so well." Arthur glanced at his watch. They were early. Hunith would only arrive with lunch in another half hour. "We still have time before lunch. What would you like to do?"

"There is a stream that we could walk along. Or perhaps we could sit and chat."

Arthur offered her his arm. "A walk would be good to work up an appetite."

* * *

"Thank you so much for accomodating us. Yes. Mmm. Right. I'll see you next week." Gwen hung up, then flopped onto her bed. Was it only an hour since Arthur had left with Mithian? The clock that hung above the dresser seemed to suggest so, yet to Gwen it felt like hours. In that time, she'd made apologies to Lady Laura and Lady Brienne, and even managed to secure a date with the latter back in Camelot. She had also made called up the various professionals Arthur had engaged to work on the various parts of Ealdor house to reschedule the work.

And now, it looked like she was free for the rest of the day.

Gwen wandered around the cottage, then settled into the sofa with a book that she'd been reading for the past few weeks but it couldn't hold her attention and she found herself constantly checking the time. Finally, annoyed with herself, Gwen grabbed her scarf and bag, and hopped into Arthur's car. Perhaps, Freya would be free for lunch. If not, Gwen would explore the village a little more, maybe visit the small museum there.

Freya was more than happy to see Gwen, hooking her arm in hers as they strolled around the village. The museum, while small and only took them slightly more than half an hour to walk through, showcased the archaeological dig that had led to the beginnings of this village. It fascinated Gwen to discover that all the buildings were built upon foundations laid all those hundreds of years ago. Freya introduced her to the various people who populated the small village and Gwen was slowly understanding what drew these people to work in a pseudo-medieval village. As Gwen talked to them, ideas began to percolate in her head, especially when Thomas, the village blacksmith, mentioned that visitors to the village had been dwindling.

"I love Ealdor and her history, but pretending to be living in a medieval village is awfully boring at times," said Freya after she had showed Gwen around the village. "So I'm glad you're here."

Freya pushed the doors to the Olde Boar Head.

"If you're here to check if I've delivered the picnic, I have," said Hunith with a sniff, who somehow knew it was Gwen who had entered, even with her back to the door.

At her words, the image of Arthur lying back on the grass, one arm tucked behind his head, which would be turned towards Mithian as they chatted about whatever it was that royalty chatted about. Certainly nothing as mundane as childhood hobbies and favourite cartoons. They probably got on like a house on fire. She felt slightly sick.

Stop thinking about Arthur or his date.

"We're here for some lunch," called out Freya as she walked towards the bar counter. "Don't be such a grump."

That earned an indistinct grumble from Hunith.

A tour bus must have just arrived as the restaurant was busy with people wielding cameras and contorting themselves into strange positions to take selfies of themselves. Chatter and laughter filled the room, and a glance at Freya's face showed that she was pleased with the scene.

"You love Ealdor."

Freya sat down and nodded. "I do. I was born in the village next door, Mercia. Well, it's not a village anymore. It's a nice little town. Anyway, I lived in Mercia and then, Ealdor didn't really exist except as a bunch of ruins. Then some guys came in when I was maybe 10, and started to excavate the area. I was one of those kids, you know, who had what they call, absentee parents so after school I would come down to Ealdor and watch these guys dig."

A waitress placed two glasses of water on their table and Gwen sipped as she listened to Freya detail the decisions that brought her to live and now manage Ealdor.

"Is what Thomas said true - that visitors numbers are down?" Gwen gestured to the people around them. "This looks pretty healthy to me."

"It is the weekend and this isn't too bad. We get grants of course, and the prince helps a lot as well, but I really want Ealdor to be self-sustaining." Freya waved the waitress over. "Are you ready to order?"

Lunch was pleasant. Gwen enjoyed Freya's company but what was getting her excited was the ideas in her head for Ealdor. It was a lovely village with so much potential. While event planning was only a fraction of the things she did for Catrina, it was by far her favourite part of the job and she could already imagine all the events that she could organise in Ealdor.

With her own company.

Then she'd probably see Arthur fairly often.

Gwen wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

* * *

Arthur laughed as Mithian shared another story of the excesses of her cousins at some party. They had just finished the very delicious picnic lunch and the laziness of the sun-drenched afternoon was seeping through Arthur's supine body. Mithian sat cross-legged not too far away, playing with some flowers that Arthur had impulsively picked for her.

The date was progressing a lot better than he'd expected. Mithian was easy to talk to and despite not being in contact in many years, they had a number of acquaintances in common and gossiping about them was fairly entertaining. Arthur supposed, grudgingly, that his father was right about Mithian. It wouldn't be a hardship to develop a relationship with her.

And if he did, Gwen would get that hefty bonus his father promised.

It wasn't as if he and Gwen were in love or in a committed relationship. They had just shared a few kisses, even if they were a few incredible kisses.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Mithian asked and when Arthur refocused on her, he realised that she was now a lot closer to him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to zone out on you." Arthur sat up and shifted slightly, putting more distance between them. "I was actually thinking about that estate of yours."

"You mean that rundown mansion in my family? That's not a very romantic topic." Mithian moved even closer. "I like you, Arthur and I think that maybe you like me too."

When she took his hand, he didn't pull away. He still didn't move when Mithian lifted her face to his. Her lips were soft against his and her hand went to cradle his cheek. She pressed more firmly against him, her lips moving. The kiss was not unpleasant, but a small part of Arthur's brain refused to let him relax into it, reminding him of Gwen, the taste of her lips and the feel of her skin.

"I'm sorry," said Arthur pulling away, wincing inside at the hurt that crossed Mithian's face. "I do like you and I wish we had rekindled our friendship earlier, but let's not move so fast."

The hurt on Mithian's face gave way to amusement. "Too fast? Ok, I'm good with taking things slow."

Arthur nodded, distracted by the guilt pooling in his stomach. Whether it was guilt at kissing someone who wasn't Gwen or at leading Mithian on, he wasn't quite sure. "How about we take a scenic ride back to the house?"

Mithian stood, her hand still in Arthur's, pulling him up with her. "That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

Mithian loved riding and as a result, they spent quite a bit of time riding around the Ealdor countryside and by the time they returned to Ealdor House, the sun was already low in the sky, tingeing it with a warm orange glow. The lights were switched on in the house and Arthur smiled, knowing that Gwen was inside. She was probably curled up on the sofa, writing in her notebook, planning in detail what would happen tomorrow.

"I had a great time." For a moment, Arthur had forgotten that Mithian was with him. In the corner of the driveway, her chauffeur waited in her car.

"I did too." It seemed only polite to kiss Mithian on the cheek. From the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw the curtains move. The idea that Gwen was watching him brought to life the guilt that lay dormant in him.

"Call me," said Mithian as she made her way to her car, unaware of the churn of emotions in him.

He raised an arm in farewell. "Be safe."

In front of the front door, Arthur hesitated, his feelings a mess. After spending time with Mithian, he could understand why his father had thought they would be a good match. As for Gwen, their physical attraction to each other was obvious but was there anything more? He curled his fingers around the handle and pushed the door open.

Gwen wasn't seated on the sofa like he'd expected. Instead, she was on the floor, surrounded by papers, a bucket of water and rags. In front of her was the stained glass window he'd found the day before and Gwen, with gentle strokes, was cleaning it.

Whatever doubts Arthur had about his feelings for Gwen disappeared as he took in the sight. He knew that she hadn't had much interest in restoring houses. He knew that she was being paid to organise his dates, and not ensure that Ealdor House get restored. And yet, here she sat, working on the stained glass, her lower lip caught between her teeth in concentration.

The warmth and affection that flooded Arthur was nothing he'd ever felt before. He let go of the door and it shut behind him, the sound causing Gwen to look up.

"Hey," he said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning your window."

Arthur walked over and sat down beside her. "You didn't have to."

"I know. I did some research and it's easier to see how much damage there is if the glass is cleaned, so I thought I'd do that." She licked her lips. "How was your date?"

"Mithian is a lovely woman."

"I told you," said Gwen as she resumed wiping the glass. "Do you think you would want to pursue a -"

Arthur placed his hand over hers, gently removing the rag she was holding and tossing it into the bucket. "Guinevere."

"No one calls me that," she said, her face turned away from him, her voice soft and rough.

"I am going to kiss you."

For a moment, Gwen said nothing. Then, she slipped her arms around his neck and she kissed him instead.

With a laugh, Arthur wrapped his arms around her, toppling them over until she lay on top of him on the floor. The press of her breast against his chest, her legs between his and her hips wriggling against his groin sent lust rushing through him.

"Be careful! Your window," Gwen gasped even as she peppered kisses on his face. "We should -"

"I am not stopping," growled Arthur as he lifted his head and pressed a kiss against her throat. "This no kissing rule -"

"I was going to suggest moving somewhere else, where there isn't a possibility of getting cut by broken glass."

"Ah." Arthur shifted a little and grinned at her. "I have a very comfortable bed."

He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. Gwen would stop rubbing against him now, probably appalled that he moved from breaking their no kissing agreement to propositioning her within minutes.

"I know. I've slept in it before." Her answering grin was teasing and as she moved to get off him, Arthur was certain that the brush of her hand across his groin was intentional.

He caught her wrist. "Are you sure? Because if we go to my bed -"

"I hope that we would do more than kiss," said Gwen. She sounded confident, but the nibbling on her lower lip gave away her nervousness. It also made Arthur even more aroused.

He stood, then scooped her into his arms, chuckling when she squealed. Bending his head, Arthur kissed her as he walked towards his bedroom.

* * *

A tiny, rational voice in Gwen's head told her she was being a fool, taking a huge risk and throwing away her career for a night with Arthur but Gwen pushed the thought aside and threw herself into kissing Arthur as he carried her to his bedroom. She ran her fingers through his hair, bit his ear and licked his throat. Everything she did, Arthur would let out a groan, frown at her then caution her that he might drop her if she continued.

She ignored Arthur's warnings the same way she ignored the voice in her head.

"You don't know how often I've fantasied about this," said Arthur as he stood at the foot of the bed, unbuttoning his shirt, after dropping her onto the bed.

Gwen snuggled into the bed, enjoying the way Arthur's smell wrapped around her and the sight of Arthur pulling off his clothes. There was something very erotic about seeing the crown prince of Albion strip.

"I think," said Arthur as he crawled onto the bed beside her, "that you have too much clothes on. Shall I help you with that problem?"

"Please," said Gwen. She had no plans to help him undress her though. Her own hands had better things to do, such as explore the naked plains of his chest, his stomach and more. Her hands and her lips.

Sex with the crown prince was messy, clumsy and completely wonderful. With a sound that was mix of laughter and a groan, Arthur collapsed on her, burying his head in her shoulder. Gwen kept her legs wrapped around him for a moment more before relaxing. After a while, Arthur moved, pressing a kiss against her lips, then slid off her, before pulling her into his arms.

His fingers moved gently against her hip and he nuzzled the back of her neck.

Then her stomach rumbled.

"Hungry?"

"I didn't have a royal picnic like you did," said Gwen as she moved out of his hold and sat up.

Arthur sat up as well. "Are you jealous?"

"Don't sound so smug. I'm just jealous you got to eat the great meal I ordered." Wrapping the blanket around herself, Gwen got out of bed. "I'm going to heat up some food. Are you joining me?"

"Of course." Much to Gwen's dismay, Arthur pulled on a pair of boxers. Then he took her hand, kissed the back of it and together, they walked to the kitchen.

* * *

AN: Sorry that took a little longer than usual. Thanks for the comments!


	10. Chapter 10

Gwen tugged at her blanket, yet the moment her fingers loosened, the blanket started its slow, inexorable slide down her body. Shoving the tray of lasagna into the oven, she slammed it shut with her hip, clutching again at the blanket.

Next to her, she heard Arthur chuckle. "I wouldn't mind if you walked around naked."

Gwen rolled her eyes, kept one hand on her blanket and shoved Arthur with the other. Before she could react, Arthur hauled her to him and smothered her shriek with his lips. Her grip on her blanket loosened and it pooled at her feet. Just the touch of his hands on her hips and his lips on hers and Gwen could feel herself melting into him.

Only, she was naked, in the kitchen.

Once that thought entered her mind, Gwen started to giggle and she couldn't stop. Gwen pulled away from Arthur, then at the pout that formed on his face, she relented slightly and kissed his cheek. "Behave yourself. Watch the oven. I'm going to put something on."

Gwen knew that she had a foolish smile on her face as she made her way to Arthur's bedroom, a reflection of the bubbling happiness in her. Pulling on her clothes, Gwen noticed her phone blinking. Her mind still on Arthur and what else the night would bring for them after the lasagna, she reached for it.

 _Guinevere. Thank you for arranging today's date with Arthur. Arthur seems agreeable to seeing where our relationship will take us so I would appreciate it if you could arrange a second date for us. ~ Mithian._

Suddenly, Gwen was no longer hungry.

* * *

Gwen was not a coward so despite the fact that what she really wanted to do was to hide in her bedroom and lock the door, she made her way back to the kitchen. WIth every step she took, the mess of feelings churning in her stomach slowly sharpened into anger. They had agreed to keep things professional. How dare he change things, seducing her with those soft eyes that looked as if they saw nothing but her? And how dare he do that while keeping his options with Mithian open?

Arthur must have heard her footsteps, because just as she stepped into the kitchen, he turned from the oven with a wide, bright grin.

The anger seeped out of her like a deflating balloon.

She, at the very least, had to take half the blame for the mess she was in. She hadn't even put up any resistance, caving the moment he kissed her, forgetting all that she had wanted to achieve with this job. Her mind went to Catherine and Viv. If she didn't complete this contract, it would only be proof that she couldn't be trusted to handle the prestigious accounts - something they could use to continue to favour Viv. Worse, reading that email from Mithian had sent waves of jealousy through her and jealousy had no place in her relationship with Arthur. He had to go on those dates, he had to find someone to marry and what kind of matchmaker would she be if she sat on the sidelines and fumed with envy?

No, sleeping with Arthur was a mistake and she had to get back to professional terms with him.

Arthur moved towards her, but she deftly avoided him and sat at the breakfast bar, wanting the counter between them. Her emotions must have been written all over her face, because Arthur's smile faded.

He opened his mouth, but she spoke first. "Mithian emailed me."

"And?" There was no change in Arthur's expression but Gwen noticed the slight tension around his mouth and that his hands were gripping the dish towel he held tightly.

"Apparently she felt that the date went well and would like me to arrange another date. Perhaps she would like to attend the May Day Fete next weekend. We could even arrange for her -"

"Gwen."

She stopped talking and lifted her chin. "We should forget what happened."

This time, Arthur's expression hardened, his eyes became flinty and he dropped the dish towel onto the breakfast bar. "I will call Mithian and tell her that unfortunately there is no chance between us."

"And the other women?"

He leaned over the counter and his eyes bore into hers. "We'll cancel the dates. Tell them I've already found someone."

Even as her heart expanded at his words, Gwen shook her head. "And what would your father say? There is a contract in place and -"

"If I am the one to back out of the contract, it won't reflect badly on you," said Arthur.

"No, but successfully getting you married was supposed to be my launching pad. A demonstration that I can handle high-profile projects, and -" Gwen let out a groan and buried her face in her hands. "How did this become so compli - Arthur!"

At her shout, Arthur jerked away from the bar and spun around where wisps of smoke snaked out of the oven. Swearing, he pulled the oven door open before Gwen could say anything. Thick smoke seemed to enveloped Arthur and Gwen scrambled off the chair, calling his name.

Water. She needed to get water. Or maybe she should get her phone and call emergency services.

Gwen couldn't see any flames, so that was a good thing. RIght? She could hear him coughing and then, he emerged from the plume of smoke, holding his right hand gingerly. It was ridiculous. There was no real fire, just lots of smoke so Arthur was barely in any danger, yet seeing him standing there, with that sheepish look in his eyes and relief washed over her.

It was all good. All the kitchen needed was a little, well maybe more than a little, ventilation.

Taking a step towards him, Gwen reached for his right hand. "Are you alright?"

"I might have burned my hand," Arthur said with a slight shrug. "I probably shouldn't have tried to rescue the lasagna."

With a quick flick, Gwen turned on the tap and gestured for Arthur to put his hand under the running water. As the cool water splashed over his hand, he let out a sigh.

"I guess there's no supper?"

Arthur gave her a wry smile. "It's amazing how quickly the night went from spectacular to a complete disaster."

As Arthur held his hand under the water, Gwen opened up the various cabinets. "There's bread and eggs. I could make us some French Toast."

"Sounds good." Arthur turned off the tap and looked worriedly at his hand.

"Surely there is a first aid kit somewhere?"

"Yeah. In the bathroom I think."

"Go get it and I'll dress your wound."

Arthur nodded then took a few steps before stopping and turning around. "Gwen -"

She waved him off. "Go. We can talk later."

* * *

His hand throbbed but the burn itself didn't look too bad. What hurt more was the whole mess that happened before their lasagna had burned itself into a lump of inedible gunk. Sleeping with Gwen had been impulsive. He'd seen her there, working on the stained glass, and he had known there that if he missed this chance to be with Gwen, to see if a relationship between them would work, he would regret it immensely.

All he had wanted was to kiss her, to show her how grateful he was that she cared enough to clean his stained glass windows. To assure her that despite spending half a day with Mithian, she was the one he had been thinking of.

Then, he'd touched her and all his good intentions had fled his mind and all he could think of was having more of her. And not just in the physical sense.

Even now, when he could see in her eyes that she was retreating from him, Arthur could not bring himself to regret what happened.

Opening the vanity, Arthur easily spotted the small first aid box. With his uninjured left hand, he grabbed the box, then made his way back to the kitchen. Although Gwen had opened the windows, smoke still lingered and in the sink, he saw the remnants of their lasagna. Eggs and bread sat on the counter while Gwen was pulling out pots from the cupboard. She hadn't yet noticed his return and he took the chance to look at her.

Her dark hair was loose and mussed and Arthur shivered as he remembered how it felt against his bare skin. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth and as she stood on tiptoes to get a pan, she wobbled. Instinctively, Arthur stepped forward and placed his left hand on her hip. Beneath his palm, he felt her start, then still.

"You're back." Gently, she set the pan she was holding down and wriggled away from him, leaving him feeling bereft, but not for long because she was holding his injured hand and tutting at it. "You fool. But it doesn't look too bad."

Briefly, Arthur wondered how much he could wring out from this injury as Gwen started to wrap his hand with gauze that she'd extracted from the first aid kit. Her touch was gentle and confident and Arthur stared at her, his mind racing with possibilities, with words he needed to get her to stay, with assurances that her career wouldn't be hurt by their actions.

"There. Now, I should have the toast done soon."

"Gwen. About Mithian and the contract -"

Gwen beat the eggs, refusing to make eye contact with him. "I would prefer that we keep to the terms of the contract."

"And earlier? Did that mean nothing to you?"

With more force than necessary, Gwen dunked the bread into the egg mixture, then turned to look at him, the pain in her eyes hurting him more than his hand. "As I said, we should pretend it never happened. We're adults. We make mistakes -"

Arthur touched her chin. "My mistake was thinking that I felt less for you than I do."

She swallowed, then turned and switched on the stove, placing the pan on the flames. "If you call off the contract, and then we start to see each other, people will talk."

"The media is easily manipulated," said Arthur. "No one can resist a grand love story."

"Love story?" Gwen turned back to the stove and placed a piece of egg soaked bread in the pan. "We barely know each other."

"I know how I feel about you."

Gwen stopped moving but still didn't look at Arthur. When she spoke, her voice was oddly flat. "Are you saying you are in love with me?"

"I'm saying I could be," said Arthur.

Gwen said nothing and Arthur's heart sank. He'd pushed too hard, fallen too quickly. The thought that he might have ruined any chance of a relationship between them made him feel a little sick.

"Guinevere."

Finally she turned around. "This contract is important to me. It's important that I see it through."

"And lie to all those women? Pretend that I might want a relationship with them when the only person I want is you?"

Once again, Gwen fell silent. Arthur moved closer, slipping his hand into her hair and cupping the back of her neck. Slowly, he brought his head down until his lips grazed the side of her temple. In his hold, she was tense but a moment later, she relaxed slightly.

"What a mess," she whispered.

It was the thread of unhappiness Arthur could hear in those three words that made up his mind. Restoring Ealdor House was important to him and Gwen had put in effort to help him achieve it. How could he give her any less? "I won't lie to the other dates, but I'll see through the contract. But I'm only doing it for you because the contract is important to you."

She slumped as if in relief, her face pressed against his bare chest. He moved his arm down so he could anchor her to him. She fit perfectly against him and he bent his head to kiss the top of hers.

"But I want to make some changes."

Gwen lifted her head and looked at him.

He smiled. "I want you to compile a folder on yourself."

"What -"

"My father shortlisted all the other women I have to date. Well, since it's my future, I should have a say in it and I want to shortlist you."

Finally, her lips twitched, as if itching to break into a smile. "You want to add me to the list of women?"

"Yes. I'm sure that someone with as excellent organisational skills as you would be able to add in an extra date."

She licked her lips and the smile that had been hiding made its appearance. "That's not a problem at all."

"Good," Arthur said as he leaned down and kissed her.

Then he smelled smoke.

* * *

AN: Apologies for taking so long to update. Thank you for the comments! :D


	11. Chapter 11

Gwen refreshed her email, scowling when one from Catrina appeared. A glance at the bottom right corner of her screen told her that it was 10am in the morning. She picked up her phone and turned on the screen.

No messages.

It wasn't like she cared that much, Gwen told herself firmly. Plus, returning to the office after those few days away meant that her to-do list was overflowing, and that was before reading the email from Catrina.

Still.

Gwen reached for a folder which contained the details of another job Viv had carelessly tossed to her that morning. It wasn't anything exciting - just the coordination of various household chores for a family that had recently moved into the city. Scanning the list of their needs, Gwen started to make notes.

"Hey Elena," she called, her eyes still on her notebook as she scribbled more things down. "Do you have that contact for that babysitter you said was very good? Think he could deal with triplets?"

"Triplets! He dealt with the terror twins pretty well, and by that, I mean he didn't run away screaming like the previous babysitter. I'll - oh. Gwen."

Gwen looked up from her notebook to see Arthur standing, slightly awkwardly, at the entrance to their office. His eyes darted around the office but with the cubicles, Gwen doubted that he would be able to spot her. Kate, their receptionist, was not helping matters by blatantly gaping at him.

"Uh, hi. I'm Arthur and I'm looking for -"

Gwen stood, wiping suddenly damp palms on her skirt. "Prince Arthur!"

Immediately, Arthur's eyes landed on her and his lips tilted into the beginnings of a smile. "Gwen."

He took a few steps towards her when Catrina, from nowhere, deftly inserted herself into Arthur's path. Even though Gwen could see only Catrina's back, she could imagine the too large smile on Catrina's face and the ambitious glint in her eyes. Thank goodness Viv was out

"Prince Arthur. You should have told us that you were dropping by." Catrina's curtsey was several times more graceful than anything Gwen could have pulled off, and in a fit of childishness, Gwen rolled her eyes.

Arthur must have seen it, because he flashed her a grin over Catrina's head, before he brought his attention back to Catrina.

"It was an impulsive decision. I actually wanted to discuss some important details about Ealdor House with Gwen. Is there somewhere private where Gwen and I could talk?"

"Of course. Gwen, why don't you and the prince use Conference Room 1?"

Aware that there were several pairs of eyes on her, Gwen nodded. "This way, Prince Arthur."

Gwen could feel the amusement coming off Arthur in waves as they walked to the conference room in silence. Ushering him into the large room, Gwen shut the door firmly behind them, sighing in relief. When she turned, Arthur was leaning against the mahogany table, his half-lidded eyes on her. For a moment, Gwen allowed herself the chance to look at him, at his hair which was getting a little long, curling over his ears, at his shirt with stretched appealingly across his chest and the jeans which more than showed off his butt. When her eyes returned to his face, he was smiling.

"How was your date with Lady Laura?" Then, even though she knew she sounded jealous, she said, "I thought you would have called me after the date yesterday."

His smile widened. "Did you miss me?"

"I was just wondering about how your date went. For feedback so that I can make any changes to the next one you have with Trina."

And now, she'd moved from jealousy to defensiveness.

Arthur crossed his arms and Gwen could see the twinkle of amusement and pleasure in his eyes. Of course he would be pleased she was acting this way. "It went pretty well. The go-karting was fun and the private dinner at Bistro Olivier was wonderful. I think Laura enjoyed herself very much."

"Huh," said Gwen as she tried to ignore the slightly sick feeling she was getting in her stomach. She looked away and played with the plastic flower that sat in a vase at the side of the room. It was only when Arthur laughed, then with gentle hands on her shoulders, turned her around that she looked at him again.

"Two days ago, when I told you about how the date with Rose was a bit of a disaster, you were upset." He slipped his arms around her waist.

"Of course I was. It meant that I hadn't planned the date well!"

"Then you should be pleased to know that you planned last night's date very well. It was fun with a tinge of romance, but nothing too overwhelming.

"Good," muttered Gwen, casting her gaze to the floor, wondering if her desire to walk away and bury herself in work or her desire to kick Arthur was stronger.

"You're jealous." Arthur's face lowered and he brushed his nose against hers.

"I am not." It was a lie, of course, although it was hard to continue being jealous when Arthur was peppering kisses across her temple. "If you decide to be in a relationship with Lady Laura, I'll earn a hefty bonus. It's a win-win -"

With another chuckle, Arthur moved slightly and their lips met, cutting off her words. "The only win-win situation is you having dinner with me tonight."

"Arthur -"

He nuzzled her cheek. "Guinevere. Not for pleasure. We'll be all professional and you can help me decide how to organise and schedule the various workmen I need to hire to work on Ealdor House."

"You do remember that me working on the Ealdor House was a cover, not my actual job," said Gwen with a smile.

His arms tightened around her waist, bringing her flush against him. "Please? I'll pay for dinner. You can brief me on my date with Brianne tomorrow as well."

Gwen rolled her eyes at him and pushed at his chest, resisting the urge to caress him instead. "Your date with Lady Brianne has been the easiest to organise. Attend the fancy fundraiser with her. I didn't even need to do anything."

Arthur let her go, but not before pressing another kiss to her lips. "See you tonight? I'll send a car to pick you up."

"Fine," Gwen grumbled. Arthur saw through her immediately and laughed.

Pushing open the door, Arthur called out for the benefit of all the gawkers, "thank you for getting that sorted for me." Then, he was gone and Gwen was left with Elena's curious gaze and Catrina's assessing one.

* * *

Merlin put his legs on the very expensive table - something Arthur knew only because he had done the same thing before and Morgana had coolly told him that it was expensive, before taking a rolled-up magazine and smacking him with more force than he thought his transgression deserved. Arthur had half a mind to warn Merlin, then decided that the prospect of seeing Morgana smack Merlin was one that was too delicious to deny himself.

"I cannot believe my father decided that he needed a break from the royal duties, hauled me back from Ealdor so I can attend some fundraiser for homeless children."

"I hope that you think more before you open your mouth to the press and sound like you don't care for homeless children," said Merlin, shifting his legs to make himself more comfortable. "Why are we meeting in Morgana's apartment?"

"Surprisingly, Morgana has some contacts in the sustainable architecture field. I want to restore Ealdor House but I also want it to be more sustainable. And I haven't seen my sister in a while, so I thought that we could have lunch together."

Merlin shrugged. "You lost me at the word architecture. Can a pair of royal siblings be more boring?"

"No one thinks Morgana is boring. That's why she has a million followers on her instagram, all dying to find out what her outfit of the day is."

"You say it like it's a bad thing," said Morgana, her entrance to the living room announced by her heels clicking on the tiles. "Good of you to bring me to lunch, dear brother. I see we have company? Company with no manners apparently."

Her pointed glare was enough to get Merlin's legs off her table and Arthur bemoaned the lack of violence.

"Merlin here wants to ensure that I don't back out of the fundraiser tonight."

Morgana straightened his tie, then dusted his shoulders. "I hear that Lady Brianne will be accompanying you tonight."

"You heard right," said Arthur. "I understand that she is an upstanding citizen with a generous heart."

"You sound like you're reciting a catalogue. Come, I am starving."

The restaurant was one of Morgana's favourite, and Arthur wondered if Gwen would enjoy it too. He made a mental note to bring her there for a meal one of these days.

"So, Merlin. How is Arthur's love life coming along?" Morgana took a sip of her wine.

"I am right here," said Arthur.

"Oh, I want Merlin's perspective on things."

"He's been on dates with 4 of the 8 women Uther shortlisted -"

"Nine."

"I distinctly remember 8," said Merlin.

"I added one more to the list."

Morgana put her glass down and leaned forward. "Really? And who is number nine?"

"No one you know," muttered Arthur, regret that he opened his mouth quickly settling in.

Merlin shot him a look. "I believe he's told all four of them various versions of how it's not them, it's him and that unfortunately, there will be no more future dates."

"And number nine is different? After all, you chose her." Even in the dim lighting of the restaurant, Arthur could see her eyes gleaming. "Frankly, if she is the one you are interested in, then I don't know why you are bothering with all these other women. It's not like father put in a lot of thought into his selection. His criteria was probably something along the lines of breathing, young enough to bear children, some connection to royalty and no weird past relationships. I know that is exactly why Lady Sabrina didn't make the list."

This time, it was Merlin's eyes that were shining. "Lady Sabrina had weird past relationships?"

"Oh the stories I could tell," said Morgana, flashing her teeth at Merlin.

Arthur leaned back into his chair. This was a familiar scene. Morgana was full of lascivious stories and in Merlin, she had an eager audience. As Morgana began, with much false reluctance, her tale of Lady Sabrina, Arthur let his mind drift to Gwen. Despite her agreeing to put herself on the shortlist, he was well aware that she hadn't passed him a folder on herself. He hadn't bothered to read any of the other women's folders but he was very eager to read Gwen's.

While kissing was very much on the table now, especially when they were alone, the both of them had agreed that sleeping together was very much inappropriate, especially when he was still going on dates with all these other women. Morgana's question popped in his head again. Why was he even bothering with the other 4 women on the list? He knew the answer - because Gwen wanted him to, and later, as he lay in bed alone one night, he realised that by giving these women a chance, it would go a long way to convincing his father that wanting to be with Gwen was more than just a rebellious, kneejerk reaction to his father's meddling in his personal life. Gwen did meet at least three of his father's criteria at any rate - she was young enough to bear children, didn't appear to have any weird past relationships and breathed.

The thought of having children with Gwen made Arthur smile. He wondered if their children would be dark haired like her or have blonde curls.

Morgana kicked his shin. "Dreaming of number nine? I was asking you a question about Ealdor House."

"Oh, right. What did you want to know?"

* * *

Arthur was bored. He took another long sip of the wine and glanced at his watch.

"You are not as subtle as you think," murmured Morgana. "There will be dancing later. Ask Lady Brianne to dance. Maybe you two can work up some chemistry. Right now, she has more chemistry with that young boy than she does with you."

Arthur looked at Lady Brianne. She was mingling with a group of children and clearly having a lot more fun with them than when she had been with him. Although his ego stung a little, he was rather pleased because it was more likely than not that Brianne would decide that they were not a good fit and he wouldn't have to have yet another awkward conversation with her.

"You should have brought number nine," said Morgana. Clearly, she had decided that her role today would be to make life difficult for him.

"Don't you have some suitors' hearts to break?"

"Oh, I'm far more interested in yours. All these dates don't seem to be going too well. Perhaps I should meet with your matchmaker and give her some suggestions."

"Don't you dare, Morgana. It's bad enough that father is messing in my life. I don't need you to either."

"Right. Right," laughed Morgana. "I'll let you brood in the corner alone then."

Arthur's brooding only lasted for a few more minutes before he was joined by Merlin and Gwaine, both of whom seemed to have imbibed more than their fair share of the free flow alcohol. They were giggly and flirty and appeared to have come over to remind him of how much he missed Gwen.

* * *

Gwen was in her most comfortable pajamas - the one emblazoned with bananas - when the doorbell rang. She peered through the peephole, then opened the door slowly as a mix of happiness and pleasure swept through her.

"I missed you."

Arthur's stomach rumbled.

"I'm also pretty hungry," he said with a sheepish smile. "I had to do so much socialising, I didn't get to eat much."

"You're in the wrong place if you're looking for food."

"I was looking for friendly company and a phone to call for takeout."

Gwen smiled and stepped aside, ushering Arthur in. "Friendly company, I can provide. I also have a phone." Lifting herself up on tiptoes, Gwen kissed his cheek. "I missed you too."

* * *

AN: And we're back to the fluff. Haha. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for commenting. I love reading them. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Prince Arthur has dinner with another eligible member of the royal family: Is he about to choose a wife?

Elena pushed the Camelot Voice towards Gwen. She took one quick glance around the cafe they were having lunch in, then dipped both her head and voice. "So, what's the scoop?"

The large photo splashed across the center pages of the tabloid was of Arthur leaning close to Lady Serena and laughing, his hand splayed across her lower back. It was an intimate pose and despite the fact that Arthur had, at the end of that date, turned up at her apartment, a habit he'd developed since that party with Brianne, Gwen still felt that familiar tug of uncertainty and jealousy.

"Just another of his possible wives," said Gwen.

"They look cosy. Maybe this one will be the one and that bonus would be yours. Can you imagine 'G & E Lifestyle Management'?" Elena sighed dreamily as leaned back.

"About that. I don't know if I will be getting that bonus."

Elena shook her head as her eyes widened with sympathy. "I knew it. He must be a terrible person. No wonder, despite his money and looks, he's still single. Poor women. And poor you! It must be such a pain to work with him."

Gwen should really have left the conversation there, move on to something else - Elena's new client who kept giving her small chores that she could easily do herself, for example - but apparently, Gwen's mouth had other thoughts.

"He's not that bad. He's a little oblivious, especially when he's focused on that house of his and he has the usual blindness that afflicts those who live in those privileged circles. But he's also kind and full of good intentions, responsible -"

"You know, it almost sounds like you want him for yourself. Oh my -" Elena leaned across the table and grabbed Gwen's hand, knocking the thankfully empty water glass over. "You like him. Like, like him. In the whole, I want to sex you up way."

"I do not want to sex him up," said Gwen, tugging her hand away and looking out of the cafe so Elena couldn't see the lie in her eyes.

But she and Elena had been friends for too long.

With the smuggest of grins, Elena whispered, "Liar. Now, you have to tell me everything."

"Why don't you tell me about your new client -"

Elena wagged a finger. "Uh no. We are talking about you. Have you kissed him? More? Come on. I'm your best friend. Spill."

And so, with a mix of reluctance and relief, Gwen spilled judiciously to a very interested Elena.

"So when is it your turn to go on a date with him?"

"He has two more dates to go on, but he's been really reluctant to schedule a date with me." It was the first time that Gwen had voiced that out loud, and now that it was out, that sliver of uncertainty raised its head again. While she hadn't quite asked directly, she'd dropped hints about planning his ninth date and all Arthur did was change the subject. Granted, he often changed the subject by kissing her but still, it made her wonder if Arthur had changed his mind now that they were back in the real world, away from his fairy tale home.

Elena's expression immediately shuttered. "Are you sure he's not just stringing you along? All these years of working with the rich -"

She tailed off and shrugged, but Gwen knew exactly what Elena was getting at. Only people at a certain income level could afford a personal concierge and more often than not, these people approached the world in a very different way.

"I don't know," said Gwen honestly. Perhaps there was a chance that Arthur was simply having fun with her. Perhaps he really wanted that ninth date with her.

Gwen suspected she had fallen hard enough that she really hoped that it was the latter.

* * *

"A ninth girl." The chair Uther sat in was much larger than him, and anyone else would have looked ridiculous but not Uther. Merlin would probably describe it as Uther owning the chair. Arthur wondered if he too could own the chair. Probably not. The tabloids were quick to point out how much he resembled his mother, how much kinder and softer around the edges he was. He would sit in the chair and look ridiculous. "Is she of royal stock?"

Arthur harnessed his kinder and softer side. "She's not a brood mare, father."

With a dismissive huff, Uther picked up a pen and twirled it. "I guess that is a no. Where did you find her?"

"She's not a stray cat I picked up either," said Arthur coldly, his kinder and softer side slowly giving away to the parts of him that were more like his father. "You said you wanted me married. You didn't say anything about the person I marry having to be royal."

Uther tapped the pen against his desk, a frown on his face. "I didn't think you would look beyond your usual circles."

Arthur stood. "I am just doing the courteous thing and letting you know. I might have let your bulldoze me into this ridiculous arrangement, but I am not letting your prejudices ruin whatever I have with Gwen."

The pen fell from Uther's hand, it's heavy metal body hitting the solid wood. "Gwen. That's the matchmaker."

"Yes."

"I see."

"What exactly do you see, father?"

Uther leaned back in his large chair. "I see a money grubbing woman who -"

"Don't. Don't finish that sentence." Arthur slammed his palms down on Uther's desk. "Gwen is a great woman and you will not disrespect her like that."

Uther's only reaction was a slow lift of his eyebrows. "Marriage should be a strategic partnership, not one built on fluffy notions of love and attraction."

"You are a cold man, father." With a shake of his head, Arthur walked to the door of the office. "I have another date to go to."

"Arthur."

Hand on the door, Arthur stilled.

"Bring her for dinner."

* * *

Gwen moaned and Arthur chuckled, his fingers working on the sole of her foot. Her eyelids fluttered and her lips curved into a satisfied smile. That alone was enough to warm Arthur's heart. She was gorgeous in this state, her hair loose and her professional mien packed away.

"Who knew a prince could give such good foot rubs?" Gwen asked with a sigh. "So how did your date with Lady Heather go?"

"Not too bad." Arthur pressed his thumb into the arch of her foot, causing Gwen to writhe a little which in turn sent blood rushing to Arthur's groin. "The wine tasting you arranged was pretty good. But you know what? I'm just glad I've gone on all the eight dates. Three dates in two days was not fun."

"You asked for that," said Gwen.

"I did. Because I want this all to be over. And now it is." Arthur wriggled his eyebrows at Gwen, pleased when Gwen collapsed into giggles, sinking further into the plush cushions that filled her sofa. Keeping his hands still on her foot, Arthur leaned over and brushed his lips across hers.

"Uh uh," said Gwen, shaking her head. "You still have one more date. But if you changed -"

Arthur's nose nuzzled against her cheek. "I'm practically lying on top of you on your sofa, in your house and you're asking if I have changed my mind?"

Gwen slid her arms around his neck. "Well, you wouldn't discuss details the last few times I asked you. What was I supposed to think?"

"You were supposed to think that I wouldn't be as crass as to get you to organise your own date." His hand moved up to her ankle, then smoothed over her calf. Under his palm, he felt her shiver. It was only right, then, that he soothe her by kissing her. Her lips parted and he felt her tongue slide against his.

They almost fell off the sofa, stopped only by Arthur's quick reflexes. He laughed, his face buried in her throat and his arms tight around her. Then, he moved, shifting them to a sitting position and smiling when she snuggled into his chest.

"How is the work on Ealdor House?"

Arthur sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Slow, now that you're not working on it."

"Hey!" Drawing back, Gwen gave him a shove. "I believe I was the one who arranged for the stone masons to drop by to give you a quote."

The frown that drew her brows together was irresistible and Arthur pressed his lips to them. "Ah yes, that quote."

"You haven't looked at it."

Gwen's elbow dug into him and he winced. "I was getting to it. I asked Merlin to look at it but he was too busy apparently. Paperwork is boring."

"Stop looking at me like that. You are a prince for goodness sake. Learn to deal -" At his first touch on her waist, she scowled but it quickly turned to laughter when he moved his fingers to tickle her. Yet, as she laughed, she swatted his hands away. "Arthur! You know, I almost think you're pretending to want to be with me so that I'll work on your house for you."

Gwen said it teasingly and her eyes danced with amusement, but her words sobered him. "I am serious about us, Guinevere. This isn't some sort of rebellious fling or some weird ploy to get you to work on my house."

Her hand cupped his cheek. "I know."

But he could see that she hadn't. Turning his face, he kissed her palm. "Are you free this Thursday evening?"

"It depends. I might be."

"Would you be free if a prince wanted to take you on a date."

"Mmm. Possibly. I have high expectations for a prince."

"I better let Merlin know."

She laughed again, shaking her head, stopping only when he kissed her.

* * *

Elena popped another chocolate into her mouth. "You look fine. Stop fussing with your hair."

"I can't help it. I'm nervous." Gwen wiped her hand down her shorts, wondering just what Arthur had in store. "This is clearly not the usual dinner date I expected from Arthur."

"At least he's making an effort to do something different."

Gwen let out a breath and took one more look at her hair. "At least, Merlin's making an effort."

"Don't pretend you're not secretly pleased," said Elena. "You'd have been disappointed if he'd just brought you out for dinner."

"Distract me. Tell me about your new client."

Popping another piece of chocolate into her mouth, Elena gave her a look, then obliged. "She wants me to find a suitable pet for her."

The conversation took a turn towards debating the pros and cons of dogs and cats and other possible pets. As they chatted, Gwen found herself wondering what kind of pet Arthur would like. She fancied herself more of a cat person, but Arthur appeared to be more of a dog person.

Her phone rang, and with a frown she picked it up. At the voice on the other end, her heart sank.

"What's wrong?" Elena gestured to Gwen.

Gwen put her phone down after a short conversation, and looked at Elena. "The babysitter says he can't cope with the triplets. He's quitting."

"Oh crap. I'd help but I have to get back to -"

Just at that moment, her doorbell rang. Gwen sucked in a breath. "I think I know what we're going to be doing on our date," said Gwen. She just hoped that Arthur would take the news well.

The moment she opened her door, flowers greeted her and with a smile, she took them. Arthur's beaming face appeared behind the flowers and he leaned down, wrapped one arm around her and kissed her, uncaring that he was crushing the very expensive bouquet.

Behind them, Elena cleared her throat.

"Arthur, this is my friend, Elena." Gwen eased herself out of Arthur's embrace.

Even Elena's curtsey was better than hers.

"Pleased to finally meet you properly. Gwen tells me a lot about you."

Arthur's smile changed a little, not enough that Elena would notice, but Gwen caught it. It was the smile he used in public and she remembered the tabloid of photo of him with Lady Serena. That was the smile he had on his face.

"And Gwen has mentioned you as her potential partner when she sets up her new business."

"That's right. I don't suppose that you're looking for a business to invest in, now that she's not getting her hefty bonus?"

"Elena!" Gwen, as subtly as possible, nudged her friend to the door. "She was just leaving. Bye Elena! I'll call you."

With a wink and a smile, Elena took the hint and left.

"So, are you ready?" Arthur took her hand and tugged her to him again.

Lifting herself up on her toes, Gwen kissed his cheek, then whispered into his ear, "I have bad news."

* * *

Arthur stared at the three babies in their cribs. Their tiny chests rose and fell, and little bubbles of saliva escaped their tiny, rosebud mouths. With their eyes closed and eyelashes long enough to flutter against their cheeks, they looked every bit like chubby, little angels.

Only Arthur knew better.

They were devils. Screaming, pooing, smelly devils. And somehow, date night with Gwen ended up with them looking after these devils.

He heard a quiet yawn and he turned to see Gwen. The front of her top was slightly damp, but at least most of the food that baby number 2 had puked on her had been washed off. Arthur cast one more look at the little devils, then as quietly as possible, walked out of the room.

"I hope you have a fitting punishment for the errant babysitter," muttered Arthur as they walked to the living room. "Now I know why my parents put us under the care of nannies for most our lives. We must have been little terrors, especially Morgana. Look at her now and imagine her before she was trained."

They both fell into the sofa together, letting out sighs in unison. Arthur let his head flop onto the back of the sofa, then he turned to look at Gwen who was frowning at the baby monitor.

"We switched it on, right?"

"Mmm, yes. I checked it again too." Reaching over, he took the monitor from Gwen and placed it on the coffee table. "Finally, just the two of us. And it only took up till 1am to get them to bed. What time are the parents coming home?"

"Soon. I'm sorry."

"You should be," said Arthur as he slung his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "We could be skinny dipping in a lake now."

Gwen laughed. "I really need a shower. I feel like I'm caked in baby food and vomit."

"Me too, although I suspect your client won't be pleased if we showered together in their bathroom."

"No." Then she looked up at him, eyes warm and full of affection. "Thank you for doing this."

"I couldn't leave you alone with the terror threesome, could I?" He played with a curl. "You'd do it for me."

"I would," said Gwen. "Arthur -"

He placed a finger on her lips. "Aside from the picnic and the skinny dipping, I also prepared a speech. I could at least do that."

"Ok."

"As of my last date two evenings ago, your contract with my father is terminated. He is, of course, bitterly disappointed that his little scheme to get me married has failed, and he is not going to give you that nice bonus that he promised." Arthur tugged on the curl, then slid his hand into her hair. It felt a little sticky but he didn't want to find out why. "The thing is, I don't need to go on a fancy date with you to know how I feel about you. I like you very much. In fact, I suspect I'm in love with you."

"Arthur -"

"I am hoping fairly desperately that you feel the same way."

Somehow, she'd crawled into his lap, her arms loosely around his neck. "I admit falling in love with a prince was not on my to-do list, but apparently you're irresistible."

Arthur hadn't even realised just how nervous he was until her words, and a weight rolled off his shoulders and his breathing came easier. "Not to some of the women I dated."

"Lady Brienne was quite curt in her rejection of you."

"She was. Thankfully you were there to soothe my ego."

Gwen yawned and tucked her face into his neck. "Always," she murmured.

"I love you, Gwen." He said, then bent his head, burying it in her hair that smelled slightly of apple, banana and sourness.

Her only response was a soft snore.

And that was how Tom and Jenny Long found the crown prince and their personal concierge asleep on their sofa.

* * *

AN: So this was basically a whole fic of fluff. There's going to be an epilogue where we revisit Ealdor. Thank you for the comments. I love reading them!


	13. Epilogue

Arthur's hands cupped her breasts and he swiped his thumb across her already stiff nipples.

"I was suspicious when you told me to strip, now I know that you're a huge liar, Prince Arthur Penn." Gwen tried to keep a stern mask on her face, but it was difficult, looking into the mirror and seeing Arthur look back at her, with that far too satisfied grin on his face.

His lips brushed the back of her neck. "I'm just helping you with your balance."

"Are my breasts the center of gravity?"

"They should be the center of the universe, honestly." Then he nipped her shoulder, causing Gwen to press her legs together and bite back a moan.

"When do the curtseying lessons start?"

"Bend your knees. Keep your back straight." The smile had faded from his face and his voice was commanding.

Gwen never realised what a turn on that was.

Keeping her eyes on Arthur's reflection in the mirror, Gwen bent her knees, sliding her body down Arthur's unfairly fully clad front. Yet, despite the jeans he wore, Gwen could feel the strain of the erection against her bum, then her back. On purpose, she pressed harder into him, smiling slightly when his eyes darkened.

Two could play this game.

Just as slowly, she straightened her knees, pleased at the feel of Arthur's rough breathing against her neck.

"I love you," he groaned, then kissed her neck. His hands continued to play with her breasts, his pale skin a stark contrast. One of them slid lower until it came to the junction of her thighs.

Gwen watched as his hand stroked her thigh, then slipped between, easy when her legs parted with little resistance. His finger flicked against her and heat shot through Gwen as her legs trembled involuntarily. As hot as it was to watch Arthur's hand pleasure her, Gwen soon dropped her head back, against Arthur's chest and closed her eyes.

"Bed," muttered Arthur.

"What about curtsey lessons? And the May Day celebrations?"

Arthur's answer was to sweep her up into his arms and drop her most ungracefully onto his four poster bed.

* * *

May Day celebrations were in full swing when Arthur and Gwen finally turned up at the Olde Boar Head. Freya caught sight of them almost immediately and waved frantically at them from the other side of the tavern. The noisy crowd seemed to fill every available space.

"Merlin has a table over there." Arthur took her hand and dragged her through the throngs of slightly inebriated guests. "Oh goodness, he really brought Morgana along. Come and meet my sister."

The moment they approached Merlin's table, a tall, slender woman unfolded herself. Against the backdrop of the tavern, she stood out.

"Guinevere, nice to finally meet the woman my brother can't stop talking about. You might have displaced Ealdor House as his favourite topic of conversation."

Gwen glanced at Arthur, unsure if she should curtsey. But before she could do anything, Morgana pulled her into a tight hug.

Arthur cleared his throat. "And your brother doesn't get a hug?"

With a roll of her eyes, Morgana hugged Arthur. "Father sends his regards."

"I'm sure," said Arthur.

"He likes Gwen," said Morgana, much to Gwen's surprise. Her own recollection of dinner with the King was that he was just about willing to tolerate her for the sake of his son and potential heirs.

Merlin nodded. "He does. Even said that she was alright."

"Alright?" Gwen did not think that signalled Uther's liking for her.

"Oh, it's high praise from Uther," said Morgana, "especially when you're not related to him. What does he call you, Merlin?"

"You there. And on good days, he tells Arthur that I'm a fool."

Gwen's eyes widened. "And what does he say on bad days?"

"Wish I knew. I've long learned to tune him out," laughed Merlin with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm technically Arthur's assistant, not Uther's."

"How about you assist us by getting more drinks?" Arthur covered Gwen's hand with his. "Dance with me?"

* * *

Overhead, fireworks exploded. Gwen closed her eyes and leaned back into Arthur's chest. They sat on the patio of Ealdor House, their fingers entwined and resting on her stomach. Her feet ached from all the dancing with Arthur and later, Merlin.

She felt Arthur kiss her head and she twisted to look at him.

"When do you have to return to work?"

"Tuesday," said Gwen.

"Have I told you that I love you?"

Gwen smiled and looked up at the colours in the sky. "I know. I love you too."

"Does this mean you'll help coordinate Ealdor House for me?"

"Shut up, Arthur and kiss me."

"Bossy." But he obeyed anyway.

* * *

AN: What better way to end than by having more fluff? I hope your teeth haven't fallen out. And to Sherri: I really should work on my WIPs huh? :D Thank you for the comments. They make me happy (and want to write more). :D


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